China, Japan and South Korea meet to strengthen ties

Japan, China, and South Korea’s top diplomats started talks in Tokyo on Saturday, aiming to strengthen economic and other cooperation.

As U.S. President Donald Trump upends long-standing alliances, the nations’ first meeting of foreign ministers since 2023 may present China with an opportunity to forge stronger connections with nations that have historically supported Washington.

“The international situation has become increasingly severe, and it is no exaggeration to say that we are at a turning point in history,” Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at the start of Saturday’s meeting, the 11th of its kind.

“In this context, it has become more important than ever to make efforts to overcome division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation,” he said.

Japan, South Korea and China agreed to prepare for trilateral summit

South Korea, China, and Japan have decided to move quickly toward a trilateral summit with the goal of strengthening collaboration in a number of areas. This decision comes after the three nations’ foreign ministers met in Tokyo to address important regional concerns and stress the value of cooperation.

China’s Wang noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying, “Only by sincerely reflecting on history can we better build the future.”

He emphasized China’s support for strengthening cooperation so the countries can “jointly resist risks” and promote “mutual understanding” between their populations.

“Our three nations have a combined population of nearly 1.6 billion and an economic output exceeding $24 trillion. With our vast markets and great potential, we can exert significant influence,” Wang said.

Critical issues such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile advances, regional security issues, and methods to deal with demographic issues like aging populations and falling birthrates are anticipated to be covered at the upcoming summit. The leaders also intend to talk about ways to foster cultural exchanges and improve economic relations between their countries.

China urges the two countries to support free trade at the summit

Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-highest official, urged South Korea and Japan to embrace globalization—the concept of expanding international trade and collaboration—instead of protectionism, which limits trade between nations. Their first trilateral summit in almost five years began with this.

These remarks were given by Li during a meeting in Seoul between South Korean President Yoon Yeok-seol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Since December 2019, this was their first three-way encounter.

Yoon said he hoped the three nations, which are all members of the UN Security Council this year, would cooperate to promote world peace and prosperity before beginning negotiations with his Chinese and Japanese colleagues. He stressed the need for their united efforts to address complicated global issues and geopolitical disputes.

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