Japan China South Korea Foreign Ministers northeast asia Yao Qilin/ZumaPress

Northeast Asia’s Shared Destiny

For the first time in nearly three years, the foreign ministers of China, South Korea, and Japan met last week in Seoul to discuss potential collaboration on a range of issues. But trilateral cooperation, while critical, can be effective only if all three countries recognize that their futures, like their pasts, are intertwined.

DENVER – When the foreign ministers of China, South Korea, and Japan convened in Seoul last week to discuss potential cooperation on a range of issues, from counterterrorism to air pollution, it was the first time they had met in nearly three years. But, beyond agreeing to hold a trilateral summit at the “earliest convenient time,” the key question that all three face remains unresolved: Will they manage to settle – or at least set aside – their territorial and historical disputes in order to advance their common interests?

https://prosyn.org/5MelKcO