Seoul to host series of summit meetings with Beijing and Tokyo

South Korea, China, and Japan will convene a series of high-level meetings in Seoul from May 26-27. The summit aims to restore trilateral cooperation and institutionalize regular meetings among the three nations, culminating in a joint declaration. This marks the first trilateral summit since December 2019 in Chengdu, China, a span of four years and five months. The global community is closely watching the scope of cooperation the three countries will propose amid heightened global competition, including the U.S.-China tariff war.

On Sunday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to meet separately with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Presidential Office in Yongsan. This visit by Premier Li, a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marks his first trip to South Korea since his appointment in March last year. Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Seoul is his first in a year.

The trilateral summit on Monday will produce a joint statement encompassing six key areas of cooperation: economic and trade collaboration, science and technology and digital transformation, human exchanges, sustainable development through climate change response, public health and aging population challenges, and disaster and safety management. “This summit will create future-oriented and practical cooperation momentum whose benefits can be felt by the peoples of all three countries,” said Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office. “The joint declaration represents a consolidated commitment to cooperation from the three leaders.”


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com