Korea-China-Japan summit in May is being pursued

Amid indications that the South Korea-China-Japan summit is set to take place in Seoul at the end of next month, China is reportedly to have proposed the intention to hold the summit promptly last month. If the South Korea-China-Japan summit is held next month, it will be the first trilateral summit in four and a half years since December 2019. Reports indicate that South Korea, China, and Japan intend to formalize detailed schedules and agendas through consultations with senior officials following the April 10 general elections.

On Friday, multiple high-ranking government sources revealed that China had proposed to Korean authorities last month to convene a South Korea-China-Japan summit as soon as possible. With both Korean and Japanese authorities showing a generally positive response to expediting a meeting among the three countries' leaders, discussions regarding the summit are being intensified following China's proposal.

The summit was initially scheduled to take place in the second half of last year. However, the plan was eventually abandoned due to consistent lukewarm attitudes from the Chinese authorities. Initially, China had actively pursued dialogue with South Korea and Japan, prompted by the escalating tensions with the U.S. However, as dialogue between the U.S. and China persisted, culminating in events such as the U.S.-China summit, China's stance towards engaging with Korea and Japan reportedly shifted.

China's renewed interest in advancing the South Korea-China-Japan summit last month is perceived to be a response to the recent escalation in conflict with the U.S. According to a government source, "As tensions between the U.S. and China have heightened, particularly regarding the Taiwan issue and export controls, it appears that China sought to engage with the leaders of South Korea and Japan once more." Additionally, there was a mutual understanding among the three countries that they should convene before June at the latest, considering the busy schedules of the leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan, which include various multilateral summits.


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com