CHINA: South Korean, Chinese And Japanese Leaders Discuss Thorny Topics And Ways To Boost Cooperation

SEOUL, South Korea — When Japanese and South Korean presidents met individually with China’s premier on the eve of a larger trilateral summit, they discussed delicate issues such as Taiwan, North Korea, and the South China Sea, as well as measures to strengthen collaboration.

It needed to be clarified how serious the three leaders’ discussions on those tough subjects were, given they were not on the formal agenda for Monday’s three-way meeting in Seoul, the first of its sort in almost four years.

No huge announcements are expected from the meeting, but observers say that simply renewing high-level talks with the three Northeast Asian countries is a promising indicator that they want to improve relations. Their trilateral summit was scheduled to take place annually, but it has been blocked since the last one in December 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the three countries’ intricate ties.

China | AP news Image

South Korean, Chinese And Japanese Leaders Discuss Thorny Topics And Ways To Boost Cooperation

After meeting Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he was deeply concerned about the circumstances in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and China’s northern Xinjiang region. He stated that Japan is keenly observing developments in self-governed Taiwan.

He cited China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea, crackdowns on pro-democracy rallies in Hong Kong, and human rights violations against minority groups in Xinjiang. China also began a huge military drill surrounding Taiwan last week to express its dissatisfaction with the inauguration of the island’s new president, who refuses to accept China’s claim that Taiwan is part of China.

According to Yoon’s office, during a separate meeting with Li, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to help promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. The president also discussed North Korea’s nuclear program and its growing military ties with Russia.

Yoon’s office stated that in their separate meetings, Yoon and Kishida shared concerns over North Korea’s nuclear development and agreed to deepen cooperation with the US.

South Korea, Japan, and the United States have long encouraged China, North Korea’s main ally and economic conduit, to use its influence to persuade the country to renounce its nuclear goals. However, China is suspected of not fully enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea and providing clandestine aid supplies to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat.

China | AP news Image

South Korean, Chinese And Japanese Leaders Discuss Thorny Topics And Ways To Boost Cooperation

The three leaders also discussed ways to improve economic and other cooperation.

Yoon and Li agreed to establish a new South Korean-Chinese conversation channel in mid-June, including senior diplomats and defense officials. According to Yoon’s office, they also agreed to resume negotiations to broaden the free trade agreement and resuscitate inactive committees on personnel exchanges, investments, and other matters.

The Chinese state media reported Li advised Yoon that the two countries should maintain the stability of their intricately linked industrial and supply chains and avoid converting economic and trade concerns into political and security issues.

Kishida and Li reaffirmed Japan and China’s commitment to making progress in various sectors to foster mutually beneficial relations. Kishida and Yoon also pledged to enhance ties, which have improved dramatically since last year after a setback over concerns relating to Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial domination of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean authorities stated that a joint statement issued following Monday’s trilateral summit will encompass the leaders’ discussions on cooperation in people-to-people exchanges, climate change, commerce, health issues, technology, and disaster response.

The three Asian countries are vital commercial partners, and their collaboration is essential for promoting regional peace and development. They jointly account for around 25% of global GDP. However, the three countries have regularly engaged in acrimonious disagreements over a variety of historical and diplomatic concerns stemming from Japan’s wartime atrocities. China’s ascent and the United States’ effort to strengthen its Asian alliances have substantially impacted their three-way ties in recent years.

China | AP News Image

South Korean, china And Japanese Leaders Discuss Thorny Topics And Ways To Boost Cooperation

Experts say South Korea, China, and Japan must enhance their ties. South Korea and Japan desire better ties with China, their largest trading partner. China is likely to consider that further expanding the cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States would harm its national interests.

In the meantime, China has always sent its premier, the country’s second-highest-ranking official, to the trilateral leaders’ conference since its inception in 2008. According to observers, China previously contended that under then-collective leadership, its premier was in charge of economic affairs and, hence, best prepared to attend the summit, which focused mostly on economic concerns.

However, they believe China will face increased pressure to have President Xi Jinping attend since he has concentrated power in his hands and disregarded collaborative leadership standards.

SOURCE – (AP)