Illustration: VCG

Editor's Note:

Foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea have vowed to advance trilateral cooperation at the 11th China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Tokyo on Saturday, the first meeting of foreign ministers from the three countries since November 2023. How will this meeting inject cooperation vitality among the three countries against the changing regional and international landscape? What significance does such cooperation carry for East Asia? The Global Times solicits the opinions from Chinese, Japanese and South Korean experts to shed light on the outcome of the meeting.


Da Zhigang, a research fellow of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences and vice president of the Chinese Association for Japanese Economic Studies

This meeting represents a robust effort to tackle complex challenges, strengthen the foundation of trust, enhance communication and understanding, and deepen practical cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea. Notably, the three countries highlighted the ongoing achievements in cooperation over recent years, demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining regional peace and expressed a desire to expand exchanges. These efforts will not only play a crucial role in upholding stability and peace in the region but also contribute economic strength to the stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. This is evident in three significant characteristics of this trilateral meeting.

First, the three countries have achieved remarkable results by adhering to the original intention of cooperation. Since the inauguration of the China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in 2011, trade volume among the three nations has steadily approached $800 billion. Cooperation in six key areas has served as a "ballast stone," promoting mutually beneficial outcomes. Second, the three countries have bolstered confidence in building on past achievements while paving the way for the future. The geographical proximity of China, Japan and South Korea reflects the Chinese proverb that "a close neighbor is better than a distant relative." This saying highlights the symbiotic philosophy that collaboration among the three nations enhances the well-being of all. Third, the green development of the three countries benefits their people. The cooperation in areas such as new energy, medical and health care, and ecological and environmental protection has been continuously expanding. The diversified cooperation in green development is having an increasingly positive impact on the social and living conditions of the people in all three countries.

Since the 10th China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting in 2023, the atmosphere of trust, the conditions for communication and the foundation for cooperation among the three countries have undergone corresponding changes. Most notably, certain actions taken by the new US government have introduced new uncertainties and risks to the global order, multilateral relations and China-Japan-ROK cooperation. Against the backdrop of a turbulent international landscape and sluggish global economic recovery, the candid trilateral dialogue aimed at enhancing trust, enriching practical cooperation and deepening exchanges will undoubtedly provide a new reference for regional peace and development.

First, it will help to amplify the effect of "1+1+1>3" through economic complementarity. The deepening of cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea will not only foster shared opportunities and complementary advantages among the three countries, but also boost trade and investment among ASEAN countries. This collaboration will offer valuable insights and solutions from the three countries to promote broader regional prosperity.

Second, it will help create new integrated advantages by fostering consensus. The discussion during the meeting regarding regional economic integration will promote deeper institutional cooperation among the three countries within the framework of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and advance negotiations on the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. This, in turn, will pave the way for a new landscape in regional integration.

Last, it will contribute to regional peace and stability by enhancing trust and dispelling doubts. The trilateral meeting provides an opportunity for China, Japan and South Korea to move beyond historical grievances and current tensions. By embracing a mindset that emphasizes finding common ground while respecting differences, and reaffirming the consensus of "facing history squarely and looking to the future," the trilateral meeting will help reduce external interference, prevent geopolitical misjudgments and build mutual trust, thereby creating new possibilities for collaboration.

Izumikawa Yuki, director secretary-general of the Association for the Promotion of International Trade, Japan

At present, instability and uncertainty are increasing in regions such as the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, cooperation among Japan, China and South Korea is of great significance for global stability and development. I hope that the three countries will use this foreign ministers' meeting as a new opportunity to further advance economic and trade cooperation in East Asia. Moreover, I sincerely hope that this meeting will accelerate the long-pending negotiations for the Japan-China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement so that it can be signed and come into effect as soon as possible.

At the beginning of this month, China held the two sessions, during which Premier Li Qiang set a GDP growth target of around 5 percent for this year in the government work report. To achieve this goal, China will take measures such as boosting consumption, expanding domestic demand and further deepening reform and opening-up. These initiatives also present favorable opportunities for Japanese enterprises and Japan-invested businesses operating in China.

Currently, the US is employing tactics such as imposing tariffs. In other words, the US is using "pressure" to force us into investment. This approach is entirely different from China's. In the early days of China's reform and opening-up, Japanese enterprises were not particularly proactive about investing in China, as conditions at the time were not yet mature. 

However, instead of pressuring Japan, China continuously improved its business environment - enhancing infrastructure, formulating relevant laws and introducing a series of preferential policies. China's sincerity and enthusiasm in removing barriers and obstacles encouraged Japanese enterprises to invest in the country.

The same principle applies to economic and trade cooperation in East Asia. I hope that East Asia will further deepen regional cooperation, becoming a safer, more open and more inclusive region, contributing even more to global development, prosperity and stability.

Jaewoo Choo, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at the Department of Chinese Studies, Kyung Hee University

The three countries' foreign ministers met in Tokyo to reinforce the expectation for the 10th trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan and capitalize on last year's achievement. What stood out in last year's joint declaration was the strong commitment to people-to-people exchanges, including continuing various exchange programs such as the ROK-Japan-China Children's Story Exchange Programme, and designating 2025-26 as the Year of Cultural Exchange.

The next trilateral summit is expected to produce more clear action plans. This was demonstrated by the foreign ministers' meeting over the weekend. The South Korean foreign minister expressed his government's commitment to further exchanges, while the Japanese counterpart emphasized the necessity of overcoming division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation as "the international situation has become increasingly severe." The Chinese foreign minister also said that the trilateral cooperation is one of the most deeply rooted, highly institutionalized and promising cooperation frameworks in East Asia.

After the institutionalization of cooperation, depoliticization requires follow-up. Despite political tensions between them, there are still strong incentives for South Korea, China and Japan to cooperate. Independence, self-reliance and taking the destiny of Asia into its own hands are the common interests of the three countries.