‘Restart of Korea-China-Japan Summit’ High-Level Meeting Scheduled for Next Month in Seoul Coordination

Meaning of 'Trilateral Cooperation Restoration' Discussions and Full-Scale Implementation
Chair Country Korea "Coordinating Schedules with Related Countries"

It is reported that South Korea, China, and Japan are coordinating to hold a high-level meeting in Seoul at the end of September to discuss the resumption of the trilateral summit. The Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit has been suspended for 3 years and 8 months since December 2019.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "As the chair country of the 9th Korea-Japan-China summit, we are coordinating schedules with the relevant countries to resume trilateral consultative bodies such as high-level meetings, aiming to hold the trilateral summit within this year."

The Korea-China-Japan summit began in December 2008 when then-President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, Premier Wen Jiabao of China, and Prime Minister Tar? As? of Japan met in Fukuoka, Japan, and has been held a total of eight times. However, it has not been held since December 2019 in Chengdu, China. Although the COVID-19 pandemic was a factor, the deepening conflict between South Korea and Japan over the forced labor compensation ruling led Japan to take a passive stance toward promoting the trilateral summit.

President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Abe, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are taking a commemorative photo before the trilateral summit at the Century City International Convention Center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, in December 2019. (Photo by Yonhap News)

If the meeting takes place, Jeong Byeong-won, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General for Foreign Policy of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Nong Long, Deputy Director-General of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are expected to attend and discuss restoring trilateral cooperation and resuming the summit.

Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Japanese government, explained at a press conference that morning, "It is meaningful for the leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan, who bear great responsibility for regional peace and prosperity, to gather in one place to discuss the direction of cooperation and specific ways to collaborate, as well as various issues."

Some interpret that the intensified China-Japan conflict following the start of Fukushima contaminated water discharge into the ocean could pose an obstacle to the talks. The Mainichi newspaper predicted, "China’s opposition to the ocean discharge of Fukushima treated water may cause difficulties in coordination among the three countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.