Leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea have committed to accelerating negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement and addressing "Korean Peninsula issues" following concerns raised by North Korea's announcement of a planned rocket launch, which unsettled Tokyo and Seoul. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged North Korea to cancel the launch at the beginning of the May 27 meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
“If North Korea proceeds, it would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and I strongly call for a halt”, Kishida said. Kishida said he wanted to “strengthen communication among the three countries” over the international situation including responses to North Korea. Yoon also said, “We must respond decisively (if North Korea launches a rocket)”.
Li did not touch on how to respond to North Korea at the start of the meeting. Beijing has maintained close ties with Pyongyang. North Korea notified the Japan Coast Guard on May 27 that it will launch what it calls a “satellite rocket” between midnight on May 27 and midnight on June 4. Pyongyang said in November that it successfully launched a military reconnaissance satellite after failed launches in May and August of a satellite rocket using ballistic missile technology.
The gathering of leaders from Japan, China, and South Korea marked the first such meeting since December 2019, when they convened in the Chinese city of Chengdu. A joint statement issued following the May 27 session outlined plans for enhanced collaboration across six key domains, encompassing personal interactions, climate change, and economic and trade matters. Additionally, the leaders pledged to expedite discussions regarding a free trade agreement.
The gathering of leaders from Japan, China, and South Korea marked the first such meeting since December 2019, when they convened in the Chinese city of Chengdu. A joint statement issued following the May 27 session outlined plans for enhanced collaboration across six key domains, encompassing personal interactions, climate change, and economic and trade matters. Additionally, the leaders pledged to expedite discussions regarding a free trade agreement.
Since 2019, relations between Japan and South Korea have seen improvement, following previous tensions related to wartime Korean laborers in Japan, Tokyo's export restrictions on Seoul, and other contentious matters. Conversely, Japan's relationship with China has deteriorated due to disagreements over the discharge of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, China's ban on Japanese seafood imports, and various other issues.