The latest meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea has provided a timely and vital platform for the three neighbors to enhance mutual understanding and maintain the good momentum of trilateral cooperation, observers said.
In a period of great upheaval and instability, the importance of their cooperation has been further highlighted, which the observers said will have significant ripple effects and influence worldwide.
The 11th Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting, attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and ROK Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Saturday in Tokyo, was the highest-level communication since the resumption of the trilateral leaders' meeting in Seoul in May last year.
Wang said that facts have proved that the more solid the China-Japan-ROK cooperation is, the stronger the ability of the three countries to withstand risks, the stronger the foundation for empowering development, and the more effective the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship among the people of the three nations.
He called for promoting trilateral cooperation to achieve the effect of "1+1+1>3".
To achieve steady and lasting trilateral cooperation, it is essential to create a virtuous cycle of mutual reinforcement with bilateral relations, Wang said.
In particular, the three countries need to respect one another's core interests, properly manage differences, and continuously build consensus, cultivate momentum and deepen cooperation on the basis of maintaining sound and steady relations, he added.
Wang advocated enhancing trade cooperation among the three countries, resuming negotiations to reach a China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement at an early date, and setting up a trilateral dialogue mechanism on export controls.
He also called for promoting scientific and technological innovation to stimulate new drivers for growth, and strengthening trilateral cooperation on healthy aging, healthcare, new energy, green development and ecological and environmental protection.
Amid what Iwaya described as a "turning point in history", the Japanese foreign minister called for the three countries to overcome division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation and promote future-oriented exchanges.
ROK Foreign Minister Cho said he believes that through mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, the three neighbors can jointly create a more peaceful and prosperous future and help heal the wounds of the past.
The three ministers also agreed to make preparations for a leaders' meeting this year.
Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies' Department of Asia-Pacific Studies, said that the foreign ministers' meeting aimed to undertake overall planning and coordination for trilateral cooperation this year, and to inject new political impetus and guidance into trilateral cooperation.
The cooperation among China, Japan and the ROK has long been characterized as "crisis-driven", Xiang said, adding that the hard-won restart and accelerated progress of trilateral cooperation reflects a heightened sense of crisis on the part of Tokyo and Seoul.
As the top three economies in East Asia and major players in global trade, China, Japan and the ROK, against the backdrop of current international political and economic turbulence, are sending a strong signal through their cooperation of jointly upholding multilateralism and the international trade system, and expressing their opposition to the unilateralism and protectionism pursued by the United States, Xiang said.
This cooperation will also play a positive role in maintaining unity, promoting collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region and advancing regional integration, he said.
Kumiko Haba, former vice-president of the International Studies Association and distinguished professor at Josai International University, said that to maintain and enhance regional peace and stability, it is essential to peacefully resolve disputes through noninterference in other countries' internal affairs and adopting an approach of setting aside differences.
Based on this foundation, it is necessary for Japan, China and the ROK to promote economic and cultural exchanges, as well as strengthen public diplomacy and cooperation between local governments, Haba said.
Ukeru Magosaki, director of the East Asian Community Institute and a former senior official at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that collaboration on the development and advancement of electric vehicles, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence should leverage the respective technologies of China, the ROK and Japan to drive strong progress.
Many Japanese people still perceive today's China as the China of the 2000s, Magosaki said. If people-to-people exchanges become more active, it will become clear that cooperation "is the right path for these nations to pursue", he said.
As the opening ceremony of the China-Japan-ROK Year of Cultural Exchange from 2025 to 2026 will be held in Japan in April, Foreign Minister Wang said that the three countries should strive to achieve the goal of 40 million people-to-people exchanges by 2030.
Woo Su-keun, head of the Institute of East Asian Studies of Korea in Seoul, said that it is important for the three countries to jointly create more opportunities for people-to-people exchanges in the areas of culture, art, youth and economic cooperation, in order to promote mutual understanding.
The more frequently that the people of the ROK, China and Japan communicate, "the more they will discover the similarities and closeness inherent in one another, and the closer they will become", Woo said, adding that such interactions will also help solidify cooperation among the three countries.
