Tokyo: The foreign ministers of South Korea and China are anticipated to engage in discussions later this month during their trilateral assembly with the Japanese foreign minister. This marks the first such meeting in 16 months, as reported by diplomatic sources on Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the three neighboring countries are in the final stages of coordinating the talks, scheduled for March 22 in Tokyo. On the sidelines of these trilateral discussions, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to convene for a separate meeting. While Seoul and Beijing have been negotiating Wang's potential visit to South Korea during his trip to Tokyo, it remains uncertain if this visit will occur. Should there be no progress, it is likely that Cho and Wang will meet in Japan's capital.
This meeting, if it transpires, would be their first since they last convened on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September last year. The agenda could cover several diplomatic issues between the two nations. Recently, after Cho and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts expressed support for Taiwan's involvement in appropriate international organizations, China lodged a complaint, viewing it as interference with its sovereignty.
Additionally, the discussions might address the tariff increases implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, the anti-Chinese sentiment among South Korea's conservative factions, and the possibility of Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting South Korea's historic city of Gyeongju for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.