Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Cho Tae-yul will visit China from May 13 to 14, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced on Friday. According to Yonhap News Agency, in addition to discussions on the development direction of bilateral relations, supply chain cooperation, Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and other topics, the two sides will also discuss and coordinate on the specifics of the upcoming trilateral summit between China, Japan, and South Korea. South Korean officials have previously stated that the ninth China-Japan-South Korea leaders' meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in Seoul from May 26 to 27, with preparations being actively coordinated among the three parties. This has been viewed positively in South Korea, with some public opinion suggesting that the South Korean government is making efforts to find balance in its foreign policy.
Since the current administration of South Korea took office, it has promoted "value-based" diplomacy, strengthening the US-South Korea alliance, improving relations with Japan, and adopting a tough stance toward North Korea with the backing of the US and Japan. In terms of relations with China, this government has shown shortsightedness, aligning itself with certain regional "mini-groups" and following the US and Japan in involving itself in questions related to Taiwan and the South China Sea. As pointed out by South Korean media, despite engaging in unconditional allied diplomacy with Western countries including the US, the treatment it received in return has not been ideal, which has led to introspection within South Korea. As communications between China and the US and other Western countries are restored, there are increasing calls for the South Korean government to balance its diplomacy.
It is to be commended that since last year, when South Korea took on the role of the rotating chair for trilateral cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea, it has shown a strong willingness to restart high-level dialogues. The trilateral foreign ministers' meeting, which was held for the first time in over four years on November 26 last year in Busan, South Korea, reaffirmed the consensus on cooperation and agreed to create conditions and prepare for the leaders' meeting. This meeting marked a significant step toward getting trilateral cooperation back on track. Since then, the three parties have continued to coordinate on the timing of the leaders' meeting, with South Korea continuing to fulfill its responsibilities as chair this year and maintaining communication with China and Japan.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the initiation of China-Japan-South Korea cooperation mechanism, a significant milestone. Launched amid the Asian financial crisis in 1999, trilateral cooperation has continued to advance through ups and downs, achieving substantial results. Today, it has developed into the most institutionalized, wide-ranging, and substantive multilateral cooperation framework in Northeast Asia, consisting of the leaders' meeting at its core, 21 ministerial meetings, and over 70 dialogue mechanisms, covering more than 30 areas including trade, logistics, culture, education, environment, technology and health.
Regrettably, since the eighth meeting held in Chengdu, China in December 2019, the trilateral summit among China, Japan, and South Korea has been interrupted for four and a half years. During this period, cooperation among the three countries has been difficult, reflecting the intricate national relations and geopolitical contradictions in Northeast Asia. Since last year, with the prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and accelerated US efforts to contain China, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have persisted, and the signs of camp confrontation in Northeast Asia have become increasingly apparent. The resumption of high-level dialogue between China, Japan, and South Korea will not only inject long-lost political momentum into trilateral cooperation but also help dispel the misconception of camp confrontation among some countries and dissipate the "new cold war" clouds hanging over Northeast Asia.
This summit will also provide the South Korean government with a rare opportunity for diplomatic "course correction," especially considering that bilateral interaction with China was a major focus of this summit. For South Korea to leverage this trilateral summit to improve China-South Korea relations, it needs to demonstrate more sincerity and take concrete actions. Creating a more favorable political environment and social atmosphere for bilateral dialogue is essential to ensuring that this summit achieves its intended goals.
Undeniably, against the backdrop of political conservatism and vigorous American enticement, some figures in the South Korean political arena are increasingly wary of and competitive toward China. They echo the "China threat" narrative propagated by the US and Japan, and align with the mind-set of "relying on the US to contain China," which poses challenges to South Korea's rational and comprehensive approach to China and the management of bilateral relations. However, China and South Korea are irreplaceable neighbors, an objective fact that will never change. After over 30 years of diplomatic relations, China and South Korea have become highly integrated partners with deeply intertwined interests and supply chains. Strengthening dialogue and communication at all levels and safeguarding the overall cooperation between the two sides are common needs. Fundamentally, to stabilize and develop China-South Korea relations, both sides must consistently anchor themselves to the broad direction of friendly cooperation. This is not an optional question but a mandatory task for both parties to accomplish.
At last year's trilateral foreign ministers' meeting between China, Japan, and South Korea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined the direction of trilateral cooperation with three key words: The three countries should serve as "pacesetters" of East Asian cooperation, drive East Asian cooperation through trilateral cooperation, adhere to open regionalism, oppose drawing ideological lines, and resist turning regional cooperation into bloc politics; the three countries should serve as "stabilizers" for safeguarding regional peace and security, and stick to resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation by peaceful means; the three countries should serve as "relief valves" in resolving hotspot issues, and the urgent priority is to cool down the situation, create necessary conditions for the resumption of dialogue and take meaningful actions to this end. It is hoped that as the chairing country, South Korea will uphold these principles and make active efforts to ensure the meeting's success.
韩国外交部长赵泰烈将于5月13日至14日访问中国，中国外交部发言人林健周五宣布。据韩联社报道，除了讨论双边关系发展方向、供应链合作、朝鲜半岛核问题等议题外，双方还将讨论协调即将举行的中国、日本和韩国三方峰会的具体事宜。韩国官员此前表示，第九次中日韩领导人会议暂定于5月26日至27日在首尔举行，三方正在积极协调准备工作。韩国舆论积极评价此举，认为韩国政府正在努力寻求外交政策的平衡。
自韩国现任政府上台以来，该政府推动了“价值导向”的外交政策，加强了与美国的联盟关系，改善了与日本的关系，并在美国和日本的支持下采取了强硬立场对待朝鲜。在与中国的关系方面，该政府表现出了短视性，将自己与某些地区“小集团”对齐，并跟随美国和日本介入涉及台湾和南海等问题。正如韩国媒体所指出的，尽管与美国等西方国家进行了无条件的联盟外交，但所得到的待遇并不理想，这导致了韩国内部的反思。随着中国与美国等西方国家的沟通恢复，越来越多的呼声要求韩国政府平衡其外交。
值得赞扬的是，自去年韩国担任中国、日本和韩国三方合作轮值主席以来，韩国表现出了重启高层对话的强烈意愿。去年11月26日，在韩国釜山举行了四年多来首次的三方外长会议，重申了合作共识，并同意创造条件、为领导人会议做准备。这次会议标志着重启三方合作迈出了重要一步。此后，三方继续就领导人会议的时间进行协调，韩国今年继续履行轮值主席国的责任，并与中国和日本保持沟通。
今年是中国、日本和韩国合作机制启动25周年，这是一个重要的里程碑。1999年亚洲金融危机期间启动的三方合作机制，经过风风雨雨，取得了实质性成果。如今，它已发展成为东北亚最制度化、范围最广、实质性最强的多边合作框架，以领导人会议为核心，包括21个部长级会议和70多个对话机制，涵盖贸易、物流、文化、教育、环境、技术和卫生等30多个领域。
遗憾的是，自2019年12月在中国成都举行的第八次会议以来，中国、日本和韩国三方峰会已经中断了四年半。在此期间，三国合作困难重重，反映了东北亚国家关系和地缘政治矛盾的复杂性。去年以来，随着俄罗斯-乌克兰冲突的延长和美国加紧遏制中国的努力，朝鲜半岛局势紧张，东北亚阵营对峙的迹象日益显现。中国、日本和韩国高层对话的恢复不仅会为三方合作注入久违的政治动力，而且有助于消除一些国家之间阵营对峙的误解，消散悬挂在东北亚上空的“新冷战”阴云。
这次峰会还为韩国政府提供了一次罕见的外交“调整”机会，尤其是考虑到此次峰会的重点是中国和韩国之间的双边互动。为了利用这次三方峰会改善中韩关系，韩国需要展现更多的
