Japan, China, and South Korea are set to hold a trilateral summit in Seoul on Monday, May 27. Today, on the 26th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met for a bilateral meeting in Seoul, followed by a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Amid a series of escalating disputes between Japan and China, this marks the first formal bilateral meeting between Kishida and Li since Li took office as Premier.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, Kishida requested Li to immediately lift China’s ban on Japanese seafood products during their talks on Sunday.
Kishida also raised the highly concerning Taiwan Strait issue with Li. Just days before their meeting, China conducted large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, drawing condemnation from Western nations.
Kishida emphasized Japan’s “grave concerns” regarding China’s recent military expansion to Li, stressing that Japan views stability in the Taiwan Strait as “crucial not only to the region but to the international community.”
According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Li Keqiang stated during the meeting that the Taiwan issue is a major principle affecting the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations, touching upon the core interests of China and representing a red line. He expressed hope that Japan would uphold its promises, fostering a positive atmosphere for the development of bilateral relations.
This stance on the Taiwan issue aligns with China’s consistent rhetoric during meetings with the United States and its allies. The U.S. State Department expressed deep concern over China’s joint military exercises in the Taiwan Strait region, closely monitoring China’s activities and coordinating with allies and partners.
During their meeting, Kishida also called on China to dismantle buoys installed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the southernmost tip of Okinawa Prefecture, close to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu Islands in China). China has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and dispatched vessels into Japan’s territorial waters near the islands, sparking disputes with Japan.
Furthermore, Kishida urged Beijing to promptly release Japanese citizens detained in China.
Prior to meeting with Li, Kishida also held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul.
Likewise, Li Keqiang engaged in a bilateral meeting with President Yoon. Both sides agreed to propose diplomatic and security dialogues. President Yoon urged China to play an active role in curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, as South Korea had previously criticized China for its inaction in this regard.
As per the summary of the meeting released by Xinhua, Li emphasized bilateral cooperation issues, highlighting the deep interconnection of the industrial supply chains between China and South Korea. He called for resisting politicizing and securitizing economic and trade issues to maintain the stability and smooth operation of the industrial supply chains in both countries and globally.
With China becoming more assertive in the Indo-Pacific region and frequently resorting to economic coercion, the U.S. and its allies have begun implementing policies to decouple from reliance on China in supply chains, restricting exports of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to prevent China from leveraging these technologies for military purposes. China has criticized these actions as destabilizing the supply chain.
The trilateral summit between China, Japan, and South Korea is slated for Monday. The meeting occurs as Japan and South Korea strengthen trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
According to Reuters, diplomats and officials have expressed low expectations for the trilateral summit on Monday.
Beijing had previously warned that increased efforts by the U.S. to enhance ties with South Korea and Japan could escalate regional tensions and confrontation.
South Korea and Japan warned China against attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, while Beijing criticized South Korean and Japanese lawmakers for attending the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on May 21.