The top diplomats from Japan, China and South Korea yesterday met in Tokyo, seeking common ground on East Asian security and economic issues amid escalating global uncertainty.
“Given the increasingly severe international situation, I believe we may truly be at a turning point in history,” Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya said at the start of the meeting with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul.
The three agreed to accelerate preparations for a trilateral summit in Japan this year that would also include talks on how Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul can tackle declining birthrates and aging populations, Iwaya said in a joint announcement after the meeting.
Photo: Reuters
The first gathering of the countries’ foreign ministers since 2023 was held as US President Donald Trump upends decades-old alliances, potentially opening the door for China to forge closer ties to countries traditionally aligned with Washington.
“Our three nations have a combined population of nearly 1.6 billion and an economic output exceeding US$24 trillion. With our vast markets and great potential, we can exert significant influence,” Wang said.
China wants to resume free-trade talks with its neighbors and expand membership of the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, he added.
However, deep divisions remain. Beijing is at odds with Tokyo and Seoul on several key issues, including its support of North Korea, its intensifying military activity around Taiwan and its backing of Russia in its war with Ukraine.
US allies Japan and South Korea, which each host thousands of US troops, share Washington’s view that China — the world’s second-largest economy — poses a growing threat to regional security.
Cho said he had asked China in the meeting to help persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.
“I also stressed that illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea should stop immediately, and that North Korea should not be rewarded for its wrongdoings in the course of bringing about the end of the war in Ukraine,” he added.
Iwaya met separately with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, including the first high-level economic dialogue with Beijing in six years.
A key issue for Tokyo in the talks with Beijing is a ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed by China after the release of wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
Iwaya said he confirmed a commitment by China made in September last year to allow imports of marine products and also asked about expanding imports of Japanese agricultural products, including beef and rice.
“I emphasized that it is important to prioritize resolving those issues that can be addressed early,” Iwaya told reporters after the meeting.
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