China, Japan and South Korea held their ninth China-Japan-South Korea summit in Seoul on 26-27 May. The French newspaper Le Monde writes about the summit, which did not result in some form of agreement, but nonetheless revived trilateral cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea, which had been in trouble due to the new crown pandemic and international tensions.
In the post-meeting communiqué, South Korean President Yoon Seok-wook, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed their desire to “work closely together for the sake of peace and prosperity in the region,” according to Le Monde’s correspondent in Seoul, Philippe Mesmer, and the paper’s correspondent in Beijing, Harold Thibault. In the communiqué after the meeting, President Yun Seok-yeol of South Korea, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed their desire to “work closely together for peace and prosperity in the region,” and identified six areas of initiatives proposed by host South Korea: trade, science, disaster management, culture, sustainable development, and health and hygiene.
“The basis of cooperation among the three countries is mutual understanding and trust,” South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol stressed at a post-meeting press conference on Monday. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed the outcome of the meeting, saying it was “an important opportunity to consolidate the revitalisation of the process between the three countries”. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, for his part, called for “eliminating suspicions and misunderstandings through frank dialogue” and for “promoting multi-polarity in the world and opposing bloc confrontation”.
However, the goodwill shown at the China-Japan-South Korea summit was overshadowed by an announcement by North Korea on the same day. On that day, North Korea announced its intention to launch a satellite by 4 June. South Korea’s president and Japan’s prime minister condemned the announcement, saying it was a “violation of UN sanctions resolutions”. Li Keqiang, for his part, hoped that “the countries concerned will exercise restraint”, while stressing that “China has always been committed to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula”.
The North Korea issue highlights the seriousness of the differences between China, Japan and South Korea, writes Le Monde. However, as a member of the South Korean government said before the summit, against the backdrop of high tensions around Taiwan and North Korea, and competition between the US and China, “the fact that this meeting is taking place is significant in itself. For his part, Kang Jun-young, an expert at Korea University, said that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not come to the meeting, which limited discussions on military and security issues.
French newspaper Le Monde noted that this is the ninth China-Japan-South Korea (CJK) summit, which has focused more on economic issues. The first CJK summit was held in 2008. Geopolitical tensions and the new crown pandemic have prevented the trilateral summit from becoming an annual event. The last eighth summit was held in Chengdu, China in 2019.
“Decisions affecting China”
This time, the summit was officially announced only three days before it was to take place due to China’s protests against South Korean and Japanese lawmakers travelling to Taipei for the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-Te, on 20 May.
However, it seems that China is keen on this ninth summit. China is concerned about countries in the region such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines drawing closer to its rival, the United States, in the security and economic fields. In addition, South Korea has strengthened its ties with Japan since the election of Yun Seok-yul in 2022.
Tokyo and Seoul also want the meeting, as both countries are reluctant to alienate Beijing. For Japan and North Korea, China is not only a geographic neighbour and a major economic partner, but also an important interlocutor that cannot be bypassed in the face of threats from North Korea and Russia. Le Monde quoted a Japanese expert as saying, “Japan’s diplomacy with China is too focused on deterrence. Japan must find ways to influence China’s decisions.” The new South Korean foreign minister, Cho Tae-yeol, who was appointed in January, believes that relations with China and “the alliance with the U.S. are equally crucial.”
Strengthening of China’s Naval Presence
The first day of this trilateral summit between China, Japan and South Korea was devoted to bilateral talks. Yoon Seok-yul and Li Qiang made some progress on a number of issues: the establishment of a “2+2 security dialogue” between the two countries’ defence and foreign ministers, and the resumption of talks aimed at expanding the bilateral free trade agreement signed in 2015.
In their bilateral meeting, Fumio Kishida and Li Qiang discussed the tensions in the Diaoyu Islands and the threat posed to Japan’s Okinawa Islands by China’s increased naval presence. Fumio Kishida also addressed the treatment of sewage from the Fukushima nuclear power plant before it is discharged into the ocean.
These questions remain unanswered, but the dynamism of the dialogue seems to have been restored. The next summit is scheduled to be held in Japan in 2025.
