China-Japan-South Korea Tripartite Meeting

A summit between Japan, South Korea and China opened on December 4 in Chengdu for lasting peace and denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

As Pyong Yang intensifies its trials, the 3 countries have decided to agree to speed up negotiations for a high-level global tripartite free trade agreement (FTA), and to conclude the regional global economic partnership, covering the Asia-Pacific region. They also agreed to work together to promote dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

At the summit of this 8th edition, several subjects were tackled: the Korean peninsula and the tensions linked to North Korean nuclear power, the strengthening of regional exchanges but also the return of dialogue between Seoul and Tokyo. It was also the occasion for the first tête-à-tête in 15 months, between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, following the tensions linked to commercial muddles and the slight rapprochement between the 2 country.

The meeting was preceded on December 22 by the first gathering of trade ministers from the 3 Asian countries since Tokyo’s restrictions on exports of key industrial materials to South Korea were put in place in July. At the end of the meeting, a joint declaration aimed at strengthening their cooperation in many areas (energy transfer, electronic commerce, and new industries of the fourth industrial revolution …) was drawn up.

China, which has been involved in a trade dispute with the United States for a year, acts as a catalyst with its neighbors, both of which are allies of the United States, taking into account the disputes with Seoul and Tokyo.

For 5 years, relations between China and South Korea have been at half mast following the installation on South Korean territory in 2017 of an American anti-missile shield, the THAAD, which would have targeted as much Pyongyang as Beijing . However, despite economic sanctions against Seoul (ban on cultural products in China, closed retail giant, fall in the number of Chinese tourists without forgetting the regularly violated airspace), the dispute seems to have passed and « relations are completely normalized » between the 2 countries « friends and partners » according to officials of the 2 states and « the question of Hong Kong is considered a » Chinese domestic affair « for Seoul.

South Korea must position itself between China, its first trading partner, guarantor of a North Korean crisis solution, and the United States, whose long-planned departure of troops from Seoul for Pyeongtaek should take place in 2021. De further, following the withdrawal of a military intelligence exchange agreement signed with japan from south korea, the trade dispute between seoul and tokyo has grown in scale and the united states appears to be siding with the japanese.

Japan, although in disagreement with China on the territorial dispute in the East China Sea, noted the « great responsibility of the 2 countries for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia. However, it insisted with the Chinese president for an improvement of transparency on the Sichuan region and to avoid inflaming the situation in Hong Kong.

In conclusion, the 3 participants of the summit reaffirmed that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and lasting peace in South East Asia were their common objective. In addition, they undertake to make considerable progress in cooperation in areas of common interest in various sectors such as environmental protection, aging societies or exchanges between peoples.

Regarding North Korea, the main subject of the summit, the question of the connection of railways and roads between the 2 Koreas was addressed, the materials and equipment transported having to cross the 38th parallel in North Korea. Russia and China had to intervene for the first time in the Council of the United Nations in order to obtain the approval of the preliminary draft resolution requesting the relaxation of the punitive measures requested by the United States, against the administration by Kim Jong-un.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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