ANALYSIS: China, Japan, South Korea Confront Regional Strains at Summit

The Tenth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting between China, Japan, and South Korea convened in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 26. Current tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula, and the wider Asia-Pacific region brought into question the practical effect that can be achieved in this meeting. Japan and South Korea, as well as the Western world, are aligned with the United States out of concern over the Chinese regime’s aggressive actions in the region. All three countries at the meeting said that promoting practical trilateral cooperation is important for the peace and prosperity of the region and beyond. In response to North Korea’s launch of a military spy satellite, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa pointed out that to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and fully implement a United Nations Security Council resolution, it is necessary to take firm countermeasures....