S. Korea plans trilateral summit with China and Japan in Seoul

The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Wednesday that South Korea is in discussions with China and Japan to convene a trilateral summit in Seoul around May 26 to 27.

The South Korean foreign ministry has also confirmed that the three countries have agreed to hold the summit and are finalizing the details. On Tuesday, a foreign ministry official stated that the three nations have reaffirmed the need for the summit and are currently negotiating the specific date. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol mentioned on Monday that the timing of the trilateral summit is in the final stages of being determined.

If the summit proceeds as planned, President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will convene in Seoul. Prime Minister Kishida's visit will mark his second trip to South Korea since May 2023, and Li's visit will be his first since assuming office in May 2023. China has consistently sent its incumbent prime minister to these trilateral summits with South Korea and Japan rather than President Xi Jinping.

The last trilateral summit was held in December 2019 in Chengdu, China. Subsequently, these summits were put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strained relations between Seoul-Tokyo and Tokyo-Beijing. South Korea has persistently sought the resumption of trilateral summits, but scheduling has been challenging due to China's reservations. However, China's recent change in attitude has facilitated negotiations to convene a trilateral meeting.

At the upcoming summit, leaders are expected to comprehensively discuss the political landscape in East Asia, including issues related to North Korea and trilateral economic cooperation. However, there is skepticism about the summit's potential for achieving meaningful outcomes due to ongoing tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan and the East China Sea and slower-than-expected progress in improving relations between South Korea and China.


도쿄=이상훈 sanghun@donga.com