Low expectations for rare summit between China, Japan and South Korea

24/5/2024 16:16

        When South Korea hosts the first trilateral summit with China and Japan in four years beginning on Sunday, the three neighbours may struggle to go beyond surface-level diplomacy after years of deteriorating ties, diplomats and officials said.
        
        Still, even handshakes would help maintain at least some high-level diplomacy after a pause since the last such summit in 2019, according to officials and members of the diplomatic community in Seoul and Tokyo.
        
        President Yoon Suk Yeol will have bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday, then hold their three-way gathering on Monday.
        
        The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping effectively keeps military, foreign affairs, and security issues off the agenda, said Kang Jun-young, director of Center for International Area Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
        
        On the agenda are economics and trade, climate change, cultural exchanges, health and aging populations, science, and disaster response, according to Yoon's office.