China, Japan and South Korea to hold trilateral talks over deteriorating ties due to US

China, Japan and South Korea are expected to hold a trilateral dialogue “as soon as possible” over the looming concerns about the deteriorating ties due to US' growing influence in the region. The three countries’ deputy foreign ministers agreed to resume the trilateral talks that had suffered a deadlock for four years, sources told the Guardian newspaper. Tensions have also loomed over North Korea’s recent launches of ballistic missiles and its nuclear weapons programme that have posed security risks for Japan and Seoul. 

Lim Soo-suk, a spokesperson for South Korea’s foreign ministry, was quoted by the paper as saying that the trilateral talks at the leaders’ summit will be scheduled “at the earliest mutually convenient time”, Yonhap news agency reported. Yoko Kamikawa, Japan’s foreign minister, meanwhile, was quoted saying that there was now an urgent need for the three countries to restart high-level talks “as soon as possible”.

“I believe it is very valuable to discuss the various challenges the region faces,” Kamikawa reportedly said at a conference. 

It is to be noted that in August, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and US President Joe Biden held a trilateral dialogue at Camp David. The three leaders had hailed a “new chapter” in their security cooperation and bolstering of the defense ties. The summit was objected by China, as its Foreign Minister noted that Beijing “opposes relevant countries forming various cliques and their practices of exacerbating confrontation and jeopardising other countries’ strategic security”. It also slammed the US for its “aggressive behaviour” in the contentious South China Sea. 

Xi to visit South Korea?

Earlier this week, reports emerged that Chinese President Xi Jinping is "seriously considering" a visit to South Korea. He announced his plans during a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the sidelines of the Asian Games, an official familiar with the development told The Korea Times. Xi expressed his willingness to visit Seoul with Han as the duo met in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

China's authoritarian leader Xi last visited South Korea, an ally of the United States, in 2014. On the sidelines of the games he discussed the possibility of visiting the country again, without specifying any date, the sources told the paper. Han pledged for the inter-Korean reconciliation and continuing efforts to establish lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin told the paper that Han asked President Xi to assume a "constructive role" in mediating between the issues pertaining to the two Koreas.