A senior South Korean government official said China has been proactive in seeking trilateral cooperation and arranging meetings since relations soured between Seoul and Beijing in 2017 over the deployment of a U.S. THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea.
Japan and South Korea have an interest in avoiding conflicts and maintaining a stable security relationship with China, and Beijing's assistance in slowing down, if not halting, North Korea's extensive nuclear development program, he added.
Tuesday's meeting involve South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi, and Nong Rong, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a briefing on Monday that China, Japan and South Korea are close neighbours and important cooperative partners, and strengthening trilateral cooperation serves their common interests.
The trilateral summits have traditionally involved China's prime minister, but South Korea is also pushing for a separate visit by President Xi Jinping.
Persons:
Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Chung Byung, Takehiro Funakoshi, Nong Rong, Wang Wenbin, Xi Jinping, Hyonhee, Liz Lee, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
South Korean, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace
Locations:
Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, South Korea, China, Japan, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Beijing, U.S, United States