Authors: Matthew Brummer, Hosei University and Muhui Zhang, Pusan National University China, Japan and South Korea convened a trilateral summit in Tokyo on 9
China, Japan and South Korea convened a trilateral summit in Tokyo on 9 May 2018 after a three-year hiatus. North Korea’s overtures to the international community for peace and reconciliation have warmed the otherwise frosty relations between the Northeast Asian powers, pulling their often-conflicting foreign policy priorities together towards the common goal of peace in the North Pacific.
At the same time, mixed signals from the Trump administration are undermining the United States’ reliability as an alliance and trade partner, pushing Asian diplomatic efforts towards a shared centre. Together, North Korea’s pull and the United States’ push brought the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea to the table as they seek to harmonise foreign policies in a bid to secure regional stability.
Some suggest that the summit can serve as a possible mechanism to facilitate negotiations for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Such a view is overly optimistic. China, Japan and South Korea remain worlds apart on their fundamental strategic priorities in East Asia.
Rather, the summit’s true value lies in its provision of a crisis-management mechanism to ease the varied and precarious bilateral disputes in the region. No comfort women controversies, no territorial dispute claims and no imperial legacy questions were raised in May. The summit made progress by excluding stalemate issues. This pragmatic approach is desperately needed.
Japan’s containment policy towards China and China’s hard-line policy towards Japan have led to diplomatic dilemmas for both sides. Pressured by domestic politics and public sentiment, leaders in both countries are unwilling to show gestures of diplomatic compromise — despite bilateral trade and investment reaching all-time highs. Even if Beijing and Tokyo share a willingness to restore bilateral relations, the arrangement of frequent direct visits and bilateral meetings between political leaders appears to be a distant proposition.
Some in Washington view the summit as a potential threat to US hegemony.
