China, South Korea and Japan leaders agree to hold first summit since 2019

China, Japan, and South Korea announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to hold a summit among the leaders of the three nations "as soon as possible" following an unprecedented meeting of high-level diplomats in Seoul.

The trilateral talks, attended by deputies and assistants to the foreign ministers of the three countries, were seen as an attempt to alleviate Beijing's concerns over the growing security relations between Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul.

China described them as "in-depth discussions to promote stable cooperation."

The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, stated, "It was agreed that cooperation among China, Japan, and South Korea serves the common interests of all three parties."

He further mentioned that the three countries agreed to hold a meeting of their foreign ministers "in the coming months" and to encourage "a leaders' meeting as soon as possible at a convenient time for the three countries."

Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that diplomats "agreed to hold a trilateral summit as soon as possible and to host a trilateral ministerial meeting to prepare for it."

The last similar summit took place in 2019. Since then, no other summit has been held between the leaders due to diplomatic and historical disputes between Seoul and Tokyo, partially related to Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin emphasized that cooperation among the three countries "plays an important role not only in Northeast Asia but also in global peace, stability, and prosperity," as stated in a pre-meeting statement by his ministry.

He added that the three nations together "represent 20 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the global GDP."

As North Korea, with its nuclear capabilities, poses an increasing threat, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been working to bring Seoul closer to its old ally, Washington. However, at the same time, he has sought to bury the hatchet with Japan, which is also a close ally of the United States.

In August, the United States, South Korea, and Japan announced that a "new chapter" of close trilateral security cooperation had begun after a historic summit at Camp David in the United States.

Beijing expressed its displeasure with the Camp David statement and criticized the three allies for their "aggressive behavior" in the South China Sea.

China, Seoul's largest trading partner, is also North Korea's top ally and economic patron.

While Tokyo, Seoul, and Washington have conducted joint military exercises in response to the growing North Korean threat, Beijing recently sent senior officials to attend military displays in Pyongyang.

China also asserts its sovereignty over Taiwan, which has self-governing status, considering it an integral part of its territory, with plans to reunify it by 2027. In response, officials in Washington, Taipei's main ally, as well as Seoul and Tokyo, have pointed to 2027 as a possible deadline for the island's invasion.

In April, the South Korean president stated that the tension over Taiwan was caused by "attempts to change the status quo through force."

This remark led to diplomatic tensions, with Beijing lodging a strong protest and Seoul deeming it a "serious diplomatic rudeness."


AFP