Japan, S.Korea meeting with China in Seoul aimed at reassuring Beijing

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
26 Sep 2023 08:38

The meeting is intended to pave the way for the resumption of three-way summits among the leaders of South Korea, Japan, and China, which had been put on hold since 2019.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, second right, poses with Japan's Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi, second left, China's Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong, right, and South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won before their meeting ahead of South Korea, China, and Japan trilateral meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Monday, Sept. 25, 2023 (AP)

Chinese and Japanese senior officials were hosted in South Korea, holding a trilateral meeting aimed at reassuring Beijing about the increased cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the US, Reuters reported.

The meeting was also intended to pave the way for the resumption of three-way summits among the leaders of South Korea, Japan, and China, which had been put on hold since 2019 due to a complex web of legal, diplomatic, and trade disputes.

The meeting was attended by South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi, and China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong.

"I'm sure there should be some discomfort on their side regarding our increasingly close trilateral security partnerships with the United States and Japan," a senior South Korean government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, said.

Relations between Seoul and Beijing had deteriorated back in 2017 after the former deployed a US THAAD anti-missile system in the former.

"There seems to be a view there that they need to properly manage bilateral ties with us, as they saw how their THAAD responses backfired and fueled anti-China sentiment to serious levels."

In light of this, Beijing is expected to leverage trilateral trade ties as a counterbalance to the US friend-shoring strategy. Additionally, they aim to promote people-to-people exchanges and enhance communication and dialogue on security and defense matters with Seoul and Tokyo.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said strengthening trilateral cooperation serves the common interests of China, Japan, and South Korea, underscoring the significance of the event in the broader context of regional diplomacy.

Furthermore, South Korea is reportedly also pushing to host a separate visit by the Chinese President and has proposed a trilateral summit in December.

Earlier this week, President Xi Jinping communicated his willingness to cooperate with South Korea in advancing a contemporary strategic partnership amid escalating tensions involving Russia, the US, and the DPRK.

Xi also said he is seriously considering the possibility of visiting South Korea.

Xi underscored China's significant regard for South Korea's positive inclination toward cooperation and urged South Korea to meet halfway to sustain the path of friendship. He emphasized that both nations have the potential to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.