{"id":2204562,"date":"2024-04-05T09:50:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T00:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204562"},"modified":"2024-04-08T16:31:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T07:31:12","slug":"south-korea-japan-china-summit-faces-uphill-battle-amid-regional-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/04\/south-korea-japan-china-summit-faces-uphill-battle-amid-regional-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea-Japan-China summit faces uphill battle amid regional tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to\u00a0Korea Pro<\/em> that South Korea, Japan and China are expected to hold a leadership summit. The three leaders will likely use the summit to address, among other topics, supply chain issues and how to promote economic cooperation. However, it risks being overshadowed or derailed by external geopolitical developments, such as an escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait or a weapons test by North Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n These potential disruptions could undermine the summit\u2019s effectiveness in achieving its reported economic objectives and may even exacerbate existing regional tensions, leading to further economic instability and security risks.<\/span><\/p>\n ON HIATUS<\/b><\/p>\n As the three largest economies in East Asia, the trilateral summit meeting will serve as a platform for the leaders to discuss and coordinate their policies on various regional issues, such as trade, investment and security, while also managing their often testy ties with each other.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the summit has been on hiatus since <\/span>Dec. 2019<\/span><\/a>. One of the primary reasons for this hiatus was the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult for the leaders to meet in person and shifted their priorities toward containing the virus and mitigating its economic impact.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>deterioration of bilateral relations<\/span><\/a> between South Korea and Japan, stemming from historical disputes and trade tensions, also made it challenging for the three countries to hold a summit.<\/span><\/p>\n Although relations between Seoul and Tokyo have <\/span>improved significantly<\/span><\/a> since 2023, bilateral relations between the ROK and China have <\/span>weakened<\/span><\/a>, with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol having <\/span>aligned<\/span><\/a> the country\u2019s foreign policy with the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n