Park and Li are set to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a trilateral summit on Sunday, the first such meeting among the neighbors in more than three years.
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Breakthroughs were not expected at Sunday’s meeting, but the commentators noted the inclusion of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country has always been ostracized over wartime atrocities.
Park, Li and Abe also vowed to bolster economic cooperation ahead of a meeting with business representatives.
“Cooperation can be achieved on top of groundwork where sensitive issues including history are handled reasonably and mutual interests of Northeast Asia are improved”, Li said.
The leaders reaffirmed their “firm opposition” to the development of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula as well as any action that could raise tensions or violate United Nations resolutions.
Along with the economy, the three leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in civil nuclear safety, disaster risk reduction, the environment, health, youth exchange, among other areas.
The annual three-way summit has been suspended since May 2012, mainly because of Japan’s frosty relations with both China and South Korea over territorial disputes and what its two neighbors see as Tokyo’s failure to properly atone for the suffering it caused before and during World War II.
Li, meanwhile, said he wanted to accelerate negotiations on a trilateral FTA and then fold it into the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement being negotiated among the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
China, South Korea and Japan should stick to the policy of facing up to history and looking forward to the future, so as to better develop trilateral cooperation and bilateral ties, he said. Even so, the three countries, closely linked economically, are pushing to find a way to improve ties.
Park and Li held separats talks Saturday, where they agreed to work on ratifying a bilateral trade deal that has not been approved by South Korean lawmakers.
After meeting in Seoul on Sunday, the three regional powers reached an agreement to restart regularal trilater meetings, which have not been carried out since 2012, mainly due to territorial and historical disputes. Pyongyang’s nuclear bomb and missile programs have long posed a serious security worry for Seoul and Tokyo. China is North Korea’s only major ally and biggest aid benefactor, but has shown signs that it’s increasingly fed up with the North’s repeated provocations.
Li called for more patience amid efforts to create a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, according to Park’s office.
The triumph of realpolitik will be capped on Monday by a first ever one-on-one summit between Park and Abe after an extended diplomatic freeze.
Park will also be reluctant to make a strong statement against North Korea in the presence of Abe because of public concern in South Korea over Japan’s recent moves toward allowing an expanding role for its military, Bong said.
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South Korea’s 60-year military alliance with the U.S. remains the cornerstone of its national defence, and it does not want to become a pawn in the battle between China and the USA for influence in Asia.
