Japan, China, South Korea meet to reset ties

The top diplomats from Japan, China and South Korea met in Tokyo on Saturday, seeking common ground on East Asian security and economic issues amid escalating global uncertainty.

“Given the increasingly severe international situation, I believe we may truly be at a turning point in history,” Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at the start of the meeting in Tokyo with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.

The three agreed to accelerate preparations for a trilateral summit in Japan this year that would also include talks on how Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul can tackle declining birthrates and aging populations, Iwaya said in a joint announcement after the meeting.

Wang said he wanted to resume free trade talks with its neighbours and expand membership of the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

However, deep divisions remain. Beijing is at odds with Tokyo and Seoul on several key issues, including its support of North Korea, its intensifying military activity around Taiwan and its backing of Russia in its war with Ukraine.

Cho said he had asked China in the meeting to help persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

US allies Japan and South Korea, which each host thousands of US troops, share Washington’s view that China - the world’s second-largest economy - poses a growing threat to regional security.