Hot Spots Preview | Why is the China-Japan-ROK Summit restarting at this time? Expert: Neighbors should value it

After nearly four and a half years, the China-Japan-ROK leaders’ meeting kicked off again in South Korea this week. The three countries, which are close neighbors to each other and are major economies in the world, will undoubtedly continue to play a decisive role in stabilizing the global economy and the situation in Northeast Asia. Why is the China-Japan-ROK summit being held now? What positive impacts will the resumption of dialogue between the leaders of the three countries bring to bilateral and trilateral relations, regional peace and stability, and global prosperity and development?

This weekend, the China-Japan-ROK leaders’ meeting will resume in Seoul. On May 23, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced that Premier Li Qiang of the State Council will attend the meeting. Wang Wenbin said that in the context of the current complex evolution of the international and regional situation, China expects this meeting to inject new momentum into the cooperation among the three countries and better achieve mutual benefit and win-win results among the three countries. Reports show that the last China-Japan-ROK summit was held in Chengdu, China, in December 2019. As the core of the all-round cooperation framework among China, Japan and South Korea, why is this important meeting that has been suspended for four years and five months now restarted? Chen Yang, a visiting researcher at the Japan Studies Center of Liaoning University, believes that one of the most direct reasons is the unremitting efforts made by the three countries to restart the summit since last year. From the International Forum on China-Japan-ROK Cooperation held in Qingdao last July, to the China-Japan-ROK Deputy Foreign Minister-level Senior Officials Meeting in September, to the China-Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting in November, conditions have been created for the leaders' meeting.

Chen Yang said that for Japan and South Korea, restarting the trilateral leaders’ meeting also has its own considerations. As the leader of this year's rotating chair for China-Japan-ROK cooperation, President Yoon Seok-yue not only has a low support rate, but also the ruling party he led recently lost in the parliamentary election. Therefore, South Korea hopes to hold a summit as soon as possible in order to improve the support rate through diplomatic results. Sweeping away the haze of previous governance. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hopes to improve relations with China and promote high-level contacts and communication between China and Japan. As a staunch ally of the United States, Japan has been actively cooperating with the United States' Asia-Pacific strategic deployment. But Japan is also aware that even if the strategic game between China and the United States intensifies, the two countries can still maintain high-level contacts and communication, such as the recent phone calls between the Chinese and American presidents, and the successive visits to China by the U.S. Treasury Secretary and Secretary of State. However, similar diplomatic results have not been achieved between China and Japan. Japan has encountered "over-the-top diplomacy" from the United States in its history, so it is particularly worried that if Sino-US relations change, Japan will fall into a passive situation.

Chen Yang said that direct and candid dialogue between the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea would help increase trust, dispel doubts and build consensus. Avoid unnecessary strategic misjudgments and seek common solutions to certain bilateral or regional issues. At the same time, such dialogue and communication will also help stabilize bilateral and trilateral relations and promote future trilateral cooperation. Currently, Northeast Asia is looming under the cloud of a "new cold war." Out of geopolitical selfish interests, the United States deliberately exaggerates ideological differences, forms gangs, and stirs up trouble in Northeast Asia. Against this background, the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea gathered together to have candid dialogue and jointly plan for future development. This is undoubtedly the most powerful response to the narrative of "ideological confrontation" and "camp confrontation". In the context of the current weak global economic recovery, China, Japan and South Korea are deepening regional cooperation, especially now that China is vigorously developing new productive forces. The Chinese economy, which is moving towards the "new", will join hands with Japan and South Korea to ride the wind and waves and contribute to global development. Add new vitality.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of China-Japan-ROK cooperation. China-Japan-ROK cooperation has become the multilateral cooperation structure with the highest degree of institutionalization, the widest coverage, and the richest connotation in East Asia. Chen Yang said that cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea has been "difficult" in recent years. The most important point is that the Japanese and South Korean governments fail to view China's development rationally and adopt independent policies towards China. Japan's exaggeration of the so-called "China threat theory" is not only seriously inconsistent with the reality of Sino-Japanese relations, but also runs counter to the important consensus that the two sides "are mutual partners and do not pose a threat to each other." South Korea adopts so-called "values ​​diplomacy" to promote The foreign policy towards the United States is either to strengthen the South Korea-US alliance, or to actively join various closed and exclusive small groups led by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, Japan and South Korea, which are eager to restart their leaders’ meeting in the near future, should not only reflect on their previous negative words and deeds towards China, but also cherish the cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea, and earnestly think about what kind of relations with China can promote cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea. Steady and far-reaching.