Photo/Illutration Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea meet at the Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting on March 22 in Tokyo. (Pool)

The foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea met in Tokyo on March 22 and confirmed they will promote “future-oriented cooperation.”

They agreed to accelerate preparations for concrete outcomes in three areas: (1) knowing each other better; (2) cooperating to shape and protect livelihoods; and (3) making joint efforts among all generations to tackle common challenges.

War continues in Ukraine and the Middle East. The tariff policy of the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump is compromising the global regime of free trade.

At a time when the world order is being shaken, Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul should steadily deepen their cooperation to address challenges that face both East Asia and the world at large.

Trilateral dialogue between Japan, China and South Korea remained interrupted for some time amid the novel coronavirus pandemic and souring bilateral ties.

The three countries, however, held a trilateral summit in May last year following a hiatus of about four and a half years.

The latest foreign ministers’ meeting was rightly held without much of an interval after that summit.

The three foreign ministers agreed their nations should hold the next summit at an early date. Officials should ensure this trend takes root.

Given the U.S.-China rivalry, Japan and South Korea, which are U.S. allies, will certainly find it difficult to take concerted action with China in security and other fields.

There are, however, many issues on which Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul can work together.

China is the biggest trade partner for both Japan and South Korea, which rank high on the list of China’s import and export partners. The three nations are thus intertwined on the economic front.

Promoting trade, investment, personal exchanges and other interactions that straddle the three countries will benefit all of them.

In addition, they all need to address their falling birthrates and aging populations.

The three countries’ mutual relief at times of disaster would be all the more effective because they are all neighbors. They should also work together on global issues, such as climate change and public hygiene.

“It is essential to promote cooperation that directly benefits people’s livelihoods,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told a joint news conference following the meeting.

Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, and Cho Tae-yul, foreign minister of South Korea, presented similar views.

The three countries have bickered over shared history and territories precisely because they are neighbors. Mutual understanding on the public level is, therefore, key to sustained cooperation.

The three nations should endeavor, on the security front as well, to build mutual trust to prevent contingencies from arising and to contribute to regional stability.

They should continue high-level dialogue between their national leaders and foreign ministers and promote exchanges between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the armed forces of China and South Korea.

During the meeting, Iwaya expressed concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs and the advancement of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Wang also said China will work with other parties to “jointly maintain peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.” The three countries thus share the same stance in calling for North Korea’s denuclearization.

Tokyo and Seoul should communicate extensively with Beijing, which has influence over Pyongyang, to find a breakthrough in the situation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 23

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