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China-Japan relations
ChinaDiplomacy

‘No high hopes’ for China at summit with Japan, South Korea, though revival of 3-way talks marks a start

  • ‘Return to some level of dialogue’ expected to be main goal as China aims to pull Japan and Korea away from US orbit, according to analyst in Tokyo
  • Observer in China says while hopes of concrete outcomes are low, meeting shows willingness to engage multilaterally for sake of regional stability

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have led a marked turnaround in historically strained bilateral ties. Photo: Kyodo
Alyssa Chen
As China, South Korea and Japan get ready to resume a summit on the weekend, Beijing may find itself navigating a labyrinth of new geopolitical tensions and alliances that have reshaped the landscape since their last meeting more than four years ago.
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Observers said while the trilateral summit was unlikely to produce substantial outcomes or any game-changing improvements in relations, diplomatic gestures made by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul would carry some significance.
Historically strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo, marked by colonial-era, wartime and recent trade disputes, have seen a dramatic turnaround since March last year, when South Korea controversially agreed to pay compensation to its own citizens who had been victims of forced labour by Japan during World War II.

The move led to a swift rapprochement, and the neighbours have since restored a military intelligence-sharing agreement, reinstated a currency swap deal, and taken part in a historic trilateral summit with the United States, boosting security cooperation for the two US treaty allies.

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Leaders of South Korea and Japan commit to stronger ties despite lingering historical disputes

Leaders of South Korea and Japan commit to stronger ties despite lingering historical disputes

In stark contrast, their relationship with Beijing has worsened amid escalating US-China rivalry, reaching what some analysts have called “the lowest ebb”.

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The deep loss of political trust has been attributed to stronger security ties with the United States, as Japan and South Korea raise concerns over China’s growing military might. Issues such as South Korea’s economic shift away from China and China’s anger over Japan’s release of radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima nuclear plant have cast further shadows over their respective bilateral ties.

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