By Ankit Panda
The foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea suggested that the long-stalled leaders’ summit could be back on.
Trilateralism is starting to yield diplomatic dividends in Northeast Asia. After meeting in Seoul, the foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea agreed to work toward a broader trilateral summit involving their leaders. Such a summit has not taken place in over three years due to rising regional tensions stemming from, among other issues, differing interpretations of history and territorial disputes — the foreign ministers of these three countries last met in 2012, a time when each was led by a different leader. The meeting of the foreign ministers itself represented a level of regional diplomatic engagement that hadn’t been seen in years.
In Seoul this weekend, the foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea issued a joint statement noting that ”Based on the accomplishments achieved through this meeting, [they] decided to continue their efforts to hold the trilateral summit at the earliest convenient time for the three countries.” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, however, caveatted the statement by noting that the prognosis for a successful trilateral meeting would come down to Japan adequately recognizing its wartime past on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War this year. ”The war has been over for 70 years, but the problem with history remains a present issue, not an issue of the past,” he noted.
Read the full story at The Diplomat