Chinese State Media: "Korea and Japan Must Show More Sincerity and Maintain Autonomy"

Amid the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of South Korea, China, and Japan, Chinese state media released a report urging South Korea and Japan to "show more sincerity to achieve substantial results." It also indirectly cautioned against the United States, arguing that both countries should maintain autonomy from external forces.

On the 26th, China's Global Times (GT) stated, "This meeting, held for the first time in four years, not only paves the way for high-level talks among the three Asian countries but also brings stability to the region and offsets negative situations," while asserting, "If both countries want to achieve tangible outcomes, South Korea and Japan must take more measures and show sincerity."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

GT emphasized, "External forces are trying to use Japan and South Korea to contain China and disrupt cooperation among the three countries," adding, "Allowing non-regional countries to interfere in regional issues hinders cooperation," and stressed, "It is very important for both Japan and South Korea to maintain autonomy." This is effectively a reference targeting the trilateral cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

However, the report repeatedly underscored that this meeting is an important step toward the highest-level talks, including the leaders of the three countries. Da Zhi Gang, director of the Northeast Asia Research Institute at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told GT, "This meeting not only deepens cooperation but also aims to offset the negative impacts of current geopolitical tensions," explaining, "It could serve as an opportunity for a higher-level trilateral summit in the near future." He added, "It will help manage the current differences among Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul while expanding cooperation in areas of shared interest."

The report also evaluated that South Korea and Japan's interest in improving relations with China is influenced by the recent U.S.-China summit in San Francisco. Furthermore, it reiterated that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's recent remarks mentioning Taiwan and the South China Sea during his meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging to "stop irresponsible comments on issues related to China's core interests and to be cautious with words and actions." Citing L? Chao, a Korean Peninsula expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, the report criticized, "Like the United States, Japan and South Korea tend to discuss cooperation while ignoring China's core interests," calling this "an obstacle to trilateral cooperation."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Park Jin, after holding the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting for about 1 hour and 40 minutes with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister, and Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko at the Nurimaru APEC House in Busan in the afternoon, told reporters, "We agreed to accelerate preparations necessary for the summit." The trilateral foreign ministers' meeting among South Korea, China, and Japan was held for the first time in four years and three months since the meeting in Beijing in August 2019.

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