"Japan Proposes Trilateral Summit with South Korea and China in January; China Rejects"

Kyodo News: "China Says Prime Minister Takaichi's Response Is Inappropriate"

Kyodo News reported on the 22nd that Japan has proposed hosting a trilateral summit with South Korea and China in Japan in January next year, but China is rejecting the idea.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands ahead of the China-Japan summit held in Gyeongju on the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News

It appears that deteriorating relations between China and Japan have influenced this situation, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the National Diet on the 7th suggesting that Japan could exercise the right of collective self-defense in the event of a Taiwan contingency, which prompted a strong backlash from China and retaliatory measures.

China has postponed the South Korea-China-Japan culture ministers' meeting, which was scheduled to be held in Macau on the 24th, and announced that there are no planned meetings between the Chinese and Japanese prime ministers at the G20 summit taking place in South Africa from the 22nd to the 23rd, effectively refusing dialogue with Japan.

As the chair country of the South Korea-China-Japan summit, Japan initially sought to hold the meeting within this year, but has been quietly coordinating to host the trilateral summit in January next year, taking into account the schedule of the extraordinary Diet session.

However, Kyodo News reported that China has conveyed through diplomatic channels to the relevant countries that it cannot participate in the summit because "Prime Minister Takaichi is not responding appropriately."

Although Kyodo News did not specify which countries were involved, it is analyzed that South Korea may be among them.

Japan intends to hold the trilateral summit with South Korea and China at the earliest possible date, even if it means rescheduling it to after February next year.

However, Kyodo News noted that it will be difficult to coordinate the schedule, as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday falls in February and the National People's Congress, which is equivalent to South Korea's National Assembly, is usually held in China in March.

Kyodo News stated, "The impact of Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks is expanding beyond China-Japan relations to trilateral cooperation among South Korea, China, and Japan," and recalled that when Japan nationalized the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu Dao in China) in 2012, China-Japan relations froze, leading to a suspension of the trilateral summit for about three and a half years.

The last South Korea-China-Japan summit was held in Seoul in May last year. If the next summit takes place, it is expected to be attended by President Lee Jaemyung, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.