TOKYO/SEOUL-Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea will meet in Tokyo on August 23 and 24 to exchange views on cooperation and regional and global issues, the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministries said on Monday.
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“With a strengthened alliance among Japan, South Korea and the USA, the situation has become unfavourable to China and has made coordination among the three countries hard”, said Huang Dahui, the director of the East Asia Studies Centre at Renmin University in Beijing.
The Chinese military has revealed a bomber squadron with the East China Sea Fleet have recently conducted a long-range combat drill in the Sea of Japan.
The Tokyo-Seoul relationship is also prone to periodic tension due to the legacy of Japan’s wartime aggression.
Bilateral meetings between Kishida and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts are being arranged, though nothing is set, a Japanese foreign ministry official told AFP.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida listens to Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (not pictured) during a meeting at the Government Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, 5 May 2016.
Wang Yi was slated to arrive in Japan on Monday ahead of the foreign ministers meeting, which Tokyo said earlier would be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This exercise is part of annual training arrangements, is not aimed at any specific country, region or target, and accords with worldwide law and practice”, the PLA Daily report added.
Among issues to be discussed is North Korea.
Last week, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) held what state media called a “maritime confrontation drill” in the Sea of Japan. South Korea is our important neighbour.
The meeting comes amid escalating tension between South Korea and China over a decision by Seoul and Washington to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense, which the allies say is meant to counter growing threats from North Korea.
The annual trilateral meetings are hosted on a rotating basis by the three countries, although they were stalled from 2012 to 2015, owing to deteriorating relations between the countries.
Japan and South Korea have regularly condemned Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile development but feel frustrated by what they see as a lack of pressure on the country by China, its ally and economic lifeline.
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Separately, China has complained about the planned deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, arguing the missile shield goes against its own national security interests and warning it will heighten regional tension.
