SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — China’s premier agreed Monday to revive tripartite cooperation with South Korea and Japan in the face of common challenges, but issued a veiled rebuke against expanding cooperation on security issues. security between the two countries with the United States.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul in what was the first of its kind in their countries. trilateral meeting in more than four years.
Many experts believe that simply resuming the two countries’ annual highest-level meeting and agreeing on the need to improve relations is a positive sign for cooperation between the three North Asian neighbors. East, as they all face economic uncertainties caused by wars and instability across the world. But it is unclear to what extent their cooperation will be encouraged, as the three countries face a series of long-standing complex problems.
At a joint news conference after the meeting, Li said China was willing to cooperate with South Korea and Japan on economic issues, including supply chains and the resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement. -three-way exchange.
Yoon said the three leaders agreed to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, establish secure supply chain networks and work together to resolve common environmental, health and other issues. Kishida said the three countries share great responsibility for regional peace and Japan will chair the next round of the trilateral leaders’ meeting.
Despite the meeting’s seemingly friendly atmosphere, Li at one point expressed Chinese concern over moves by Japan and South Korea to strengthen their security partnership with the United States, which Beijing views as a attempt to form a bloc to contain China.
“We need to have honest dialogues to better build trust and dispel doubts. We must uphold the spirit of strategic autonomy and maintain our bilateral relations,” Li said in his comments at the start of the meeting with Yoon and Kishida. “We must promote multipolarity in the world and oppose the formation of blocs or camps. »
China wary of Japan’s plan to buy 400 US dollars Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and authorize the repair and maintenance of U.S. warships in Japan to support their operations in the Western Pacific. The expansion of military exercises between South Korea, the United States and Japan has also sparked protests from China.
The trilateral meeting was also briefly overshadowed by North Korea’s abrupt notification to Japan of its plans to launch a satellite by early next week, an apparent attempt to place its second spy satellite into orbit.
The UN bans all satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of the country’s long-range missile technology. North Korea has said it needs spy satellites to better monitor South Korea and the United States and boost the precision attack capabilities of its missiles.
Yoon called for tough international action if North Korea goes ahead with the launch. Kishida urged North Korea to withdraw its satellite launch. But Li did not mention the launch plan, but made general comments on promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a political resolution.
South Korea, Japan and the United States have long urged China – North Korea’s main ally and economic pipeline – to use its influence to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But China is suspected of avoiding fully implementing UN sanctions against North Korea and of clandestinely sending aid deliveries to its poor, social neighbor to stay afloat and continue to serve as a bulwark against American influence on the Korean peninsula.
In a bilateral meeting with Li on Sunday, Yoon called on China to help promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, while discussing North Korea’s nuclear program and its deepening military ties with Russia.
After meeting with Li on Sunday, Kishida also told reporters that he had expressed serious concerns about the situation in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and northwest China’s Xinjiang region. He added that Japan is also closely monitoring developments in the Taiwan Autonomous Region.
Kishida discussed China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea, the crackdown on pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and human rights abuses against minorities in Xinjiang. Last week, China also launched a massive military exercise around Taiwan to show its anger over the inauguration of the island’s new president, who refuses to accept his insistence that Taiwan is part of China.
As of Monday, Li still did not respond directly to external accusations against Chinese actions in the South China Sea or around Taiwan.
“China, Japan and South Korea should appropriately handle sensitive issues and points of divergence, and take care of each other’s core interests and major concerns,” Li said. “And truly build a true multilateralism.”
The three Asian countries together account for around 25% of the world’s gross domestic product and are closely linked to each other economically and culturally. But their relations suffered recurring setbacks due to problems arising from Japanese wartime aggression. China’s ambitions for greater global influence and the United States’ efforts to strengthen its Asian alliances have also threatened to damage ties between the three Asian countries.
The China-South Korea-Japan trilateral meeting was supposed to take place every year after their first meeting in 2008. But the sessions have stalled since the last one in December 2019. Chengdu, China due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the often complicated relations between the three countries.
Experts say all three countries want better relations. China is the main trading partner of South Korea and Japan. Analysts say China likely believes any strengthening of security ties between South Korea, Japan and the United States would not serve its national interests.
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Wu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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News Source : apnews.com
