The Chinese Premier Claims There Is A Restart In Relations Between China, Japan And South Korea

The Chinese Premier claims there is a restart in relations between China, Japan and South Korea. Chinese Premier Li Qiang said this as he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul. This is the first trilateral summit between the nations in four years.

Premier Li said the talks were “both a restart and a new beginning.” He called for the comprehensive resumption of cooperation between of the three East Asian nations. “For China, South Korea, and Japan, our close ties will not change, the spirit of cooperation achieved through crisis response will not change and our mission to safeguard regional peace and stability will not change,” Li said.

The fact that the meeting was even happening was seen as a mark of progress between the three nations. Historically, Japan, South Korea and China have had suspicion of and conflict with one another. South Korean President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida have charted a closer course with each other and to Washington.

Make no mistake, a meeting between representatives of the three nations does not mean Japan and South Korea are in any way not committed US allies. Japan is working to strengthen military cooperation with the US, as is South Korea. Both Japan and South Korea are concerned about China’s growing belligerence in the Pacific. So much so that South Korea and Japan have moved to ally, despite their fraught history.

But being in the same neighborhood as China forces Japan and South Korea to keep an element of cordiality with China. And while they oppose China geopolitically, Japan and South Korea can cooperate with China when necessary. This is natural anywhere in the world.

The Chinese Premier claims there is a restart in relations between China, Japan and South Korea. Despite his meeting with Japan and South Korea’s leaders, this is unlikely. Japan and South Korea are firmly with the US and against China.