In an effort to lay the groundwork for upcoming diplomatic discussions, the Prime Minister of Japan urged foreign ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea to find areas of consensus. These discussions are leading up to a significant joint meeting planned for the subsequent day.
Set for Saturday, this meeting will bring together Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and South Korean representative Cho Tae-yul. They are tasked with planning a trilateral summit for later in the year, which is to be hosted in Japan. The agenda will largely focus on critical issues including North Korea’s missile and nuclear aspirations, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine instigated by Russia, and other pressing regional and global topics. The dialogues on Friday included participation from Japan’s Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, as well.
Japan has a historical backdrop of disputes with both China and South Korea, revolving around contentious territorial claims. Consequently, organizing tripartite meetings involving these nations holds significant importance. The last of such meetings occurred in South Korea last year.
In his remarks, Ishiba emphasized that cooperative efforts among the three nations would not only benefit their individual national interests but also contribute to regional stability and global peace. These talks are timely given the mounting socio-economic and political challenges domestically and pressures stemming from U.S. policies under President Donald Trump.
In addition to the three-country meeting scheduled for Saturday, delegations from Japan and China are also set to engage separately in high-level economic discussions, marking their first such dialogue since April 2019. Bilateral discussions will also be held between Iwaya and Wang, as well as between Iwaya and Cho.
Improved relations between U.S. allies, Japan and South Korea, have been observed recently, driven by their collective apprehensions about China’s increasing influence in the region. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Beijing have made strides in alleviating tensions, as demonstrated by their December agreement to strengthen ties. Nonetheless, challenges persist, including disputes over a cluster of uninhabited islands claimed by both nations and China’s unresolved territorial conflicts with other states in the South China Sea.
