China, Japan, and South Korea agree to restart trilateral summit, revive cooperation

The foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea on Sunday reached an agreement to restart cooperation among the Asian neighbours, aiming to pave the way for a summit involving their respective leaders.

This represents the latest effort to alleviate tensions in the crucial region.

Despite the recent improvement in China-US relations, highlighted by the summit between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, Beijing remains wary of the strengthening three-way partnership between Washington and its key regional allies.

China, South Korea, and Japan had initially committed to annual summits starting in 2008 to enhance diplomatic and economic ties. However, disputes and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic derailed this plan, with the leaders last convening in 2019.

The foreign ministers met in the South Korean port of Busan for their first meeting since 2019, following the agreement in September to schedule a trilateral summit at the earliest convenience. The specific timing for this summit was not specified during the recent talks, reported AFP.

While it may not be possible for Chinese President Xi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to meet this year, South Korea’s national security advisor Cho Tae-yong expressed optimism that the summit would likely take place in the near future, as reported by Yonhap news TV.

During their 100-minute discussion, the ministers agreed to enhance cooperation in six areas, including security, economy, and technology.

They also committed to engaging in substantive discussions to prepare for the upcoming summit, according to a statement from Japan’s foreign ministry.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, addressing concerns about North Korea, emphasized the importance of institutionalizing trilateral cooperation to establish a stable and sustainable system.

In bilateral talks, South Korea and Japan condemned North Korea’s recent launch of its first spy satellite and pledged to strengthen responses to arms deals between Pyongyang and Moscow.

However, there was a discordant note when Japan’s Yoko Kamikawa expressed deep regret over a South Korean court’s order for Japan to compensate women forced to work in wartime brothels, calling for appropriate measures from Seoul.

Despite these challenges, South Korea’s Park extended an invitation to China’s Wang to visit Seoul during their separate meeting, and they agreed to enhance strategic communications. Park also urged China to play a constructive role in encouraging North Korea to avoid provocations and move towards denuclearisation.

Amid tensions, Wang cautioned against politicising economic and technology issues in discussions with Park, emphasising the need for a more progressive approach to regional and global development.

In a separate meeting with Japan’s Kamikawa, Wang stressed the importance of ensuring that China and Japan do not pose threats to each other and respect each other’s legitimate concerns.

With inputs from agencies