Renewed diplomacy: Summitry amid tensions between China, South Korea and Japan



Analysis Renewed diplomacy: Summitry amid tensions between China, South Korea and Japan As the ROK and Japan move closer to the U.S., Beijing seeks to recalibrate its strategies for influence in East Asia John PetrushkaOctober 10, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin meets with Director-General for Foreign Affairs of Japan Funkoshi Takehiro and Director-General of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong, and ROK Deputy Minister of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jeong Byung-won during a senior-level trilateral meeting, Sept. 25, 2023 \| Image: ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs The diplomatic stage witnessed a crucial re-engagement on Sept. 26 as representatives from China, Japan and the ROK agreed to reconvene their trilateral summit for the first time since 2019. Amid China’s mounting criticisms toward ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol and its decision to ban Japanese seafood in light of the Fukushima nuclear wastewater release, this renewed dialogue signals a marked change in Beijing’s diplomatic stance. However, the geopolitical landscape presents challenges, with rising regional tensions and shifting allegiances, making the outcomes of this trilateral engagement highly consequential for the balance of power in East Asia. BEIJING’S CHANGING CALCULUS China has © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 02Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 03Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 04Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 05North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 06South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 07AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 08South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics

Analysis

Renewed diplomacy: Summitry amid tensions between China, South Korea and Japan

As the ROK and Japan move closer to the U.S., Beijing seeks to recalibrate its strategies for influence in East Asia

John PetrushkaOctober 10, 2023

Renewed diplomacy: Summitry amid tensions between China, South Korea and Japan

ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin meets with Director-General for Foreign Affairs of Japan Funkoshi Takehiro and Director-General of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong, and ROK Deputy Minister of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jeong Byung-won during a senior-level trilateral meeting, Sept. 25, 2023 | Image: ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The diplomatic stage witnessed a crucial re-engagement on Sept. 26 as representatives from China, Japan and the ROK agreed to reconvene their trilateral summit for the first time since 2019. Amid China’s mounting criticisms toward ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol and its decision to ban Japanese seafood in light of the Fukushima nuclear wastewater release, this renewed dialogue signals a marked change in Beijing’s diplomatic stance.

However, the geopolitical landscape presents challenges, with rising regional tensions and shifting allegiances, making the outcomes of this trilateral engagement highly consequential for the balance of power in East Asia.

BEIJING’S CHANGING CALCULUS

China has

Renewed diplomacy: Summitry amid tensions between China, South Korea and Japan

LATEST ANALYSIS

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John Petrushka