• Significance and Leadership: The Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit, initiated by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, marked a significant diplomatic achievement, highlighting Korea's leadership in fostering regional cooperation and enhancing its diplomatic influence.

• Key Outcomes: The summit's joint declaration emphasized the resumption of discussions on a Korea-Japan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and cultural exchanges, and the establishment of the "Year of Korea-Japan-China Exchanges" for 2025-2026, aiming to strengthen economic and cultural ties among the three nations.

• Strategic Dialogue: The summit provided a platform for Korea and China to reestablish strategic dialogues and cooperation mechanisms, essential for managing supply chains and economic security, and addressing regional security issues amidst the backdrop of intensified U.S.-China competition.

The Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit held on the 26th and 27th holds significant meaning in light of the global and Northeast Asian situation. First and foremost, the initiative of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration was prominent from the start. At the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 7 last year, President Yoon expressed his intention to hold the summit to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and on the 27th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo secured the support of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games. This led to the long-anticipated summit finally taking place.

The results of the summit further highlight its importance. The joint declaration and the bilateral meetings between Korea-Japan and Korea-China strengthened Korea's diplomatic standing and influence. The joint declaration, drafted under our government’s leadership as the chair country, has two key features. It reminded participants of the original purpose and intent of the trilateral meetings and presented a future-oriented vision in the context of changing circumstances. Including the resumption and acceleration of discussions on the Korea-Japan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the joint declaration is a testament to the government’s diplomatic capability. It’s worth recalling the motivation and goals of the trilateral meetings when they were first established in 2008 and their predecessor in 1998 under the ASEAN+3 framework, which originally aimed at forming an FTA among the three countries.

However, political reasons have so far prevented significant progress. In this context, bilateral FTA agreements have been pursued first. Korea and China succeeded in forming an FTA, but this did not extend to Korea-Japan or China-Japan discussions. Moreover, with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) coming into effect in 2022, an overarching FTA involving all three countries was put in place. This created an indirect FTA relationship among the three countries, laying the groundwork for substantial discussions. The government successfully utilized this opportunity to reiterate the ultimate goal of the trilateral summit through the joint declaration.

Another significant outcome was the designation of 2025-2026 as the "Year of Korea-Japan-China Exchanges." Agreements were made to hold cultural events such as the East Asia Cultural City, a trilateral art festival, and a trilateral cultural content industry forum. Notably, the cultural and artistic exchanges between Korea and China, which had been halted since the THAAD incident in 2016, are expected to resume. This recalls the period when joint performances and entertainment activities among Korea, China, and Japan were popular. At that time, large-scale performances were held in Seoul and Beijing by entertainers from both countries. Such cultural and artistic exchange opportunities could indirectly alleviate the "ban on Korean culture" (Hanhanryeong).

Given the current unfriendly mutual perceptions among the youth of the three countries, the joint declaration promises continued operation of government-level programs such as the trilateral children’s story exchange contest, junior sports tournaments, university student diplomacy camps, and young civil servant exchange programs. The leaders also highly valued the programs operated by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), such as the youth summit, youth ambassador programs, and local youth leader exchange programs, and agreed to support them continuously.

The results of the Korea-China talks during the summit were also encouraging. Agreements were reached to establish or resume diplomatic and security strategic dialogues, 1.5-track dialogues, and deputy foreign ministerial talks. Furthermore, both countries recognized the need to strengthen cooperation in economic security. For example, they agreed to resume the Korea-China Investment Cooperation Committee, which had been suspended since 2011. Early next month, a chief negotiators’ meeting for the FTA will be held to reactivate follow-up negotiations. They also agreed to convene the “Korea-China Supply Chain Cooperation and Coordination Committee” in the latter half of the year, to operate a “Korea-China Supply Chain Hotline” as needed, and to launch a “Korea-China Export Control Dialogue.” This has laid the foundation for stable supply chain management for raw materials and key minerals.

Now, the content of the trilateral joint declaration and the Korea-China bilateral talks must be implemented. Especially amid the intensifying strategic competition between the U.S. and China, it is crucial to build a solid Korea-China relationship based on mutual respect and reciprocity, while strengthening Korea-U.S.-Japan relations. Despite anticipated challenges such as North Korea’s nuclear issue and signs of a new Cold War, which could intertwine security, political situations, and economic exchanges, establishing a new Korea-China relationship is imperative. It is hoped that the 22nd National Assembly will support these efforts non-partisanly to ensure the government’s initiatives do not go in vain.

The Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit concluded on the 27th, fostering a sense of optimism regarding the potential for changes in Korea-China relations. This optimism is grounded in the fact that the two countries agreed to establish and resume strategic dialogue channels. Since China imposed retaliatory measures against the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) in 2016, most strategic dialogues had been suspended. It was only recently that ministerial-level economic meetings took place (in 2022 and 2024), with ministerial meetings in trade being conducted virtually (in 2022) and informally (in 2023). Diplomatic and defense strategic dialogues (2+2) have not occurred since 2015. The second phase of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations was halted eight years ago. Thus, the establishment and resumption of dialogue channels agreed upon in the brief meeting between the Korean and Chinese leaders are considered the most significant outcomes.

As is well known, Korea-China relations have deteriorated since the THAAD incident. China's dissatisfaction with our decision to deploy THAAD led to a high-handed and coercive stance in its interactions with us. They refused to compromise and even rejected dialogues aimed at resolving the issue. Although there were conversations between the leaders and foreign ministers of the two countries, China consistently demanded the resolution (withdrawal) of the THAAD issue as a precondition for advancing talks, thus showing a lack of genuine intent in the dialogues. Even though China's foreign minister visited Korea for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, all the cooperation matters proposed by him failed to result in follow-up discussions.

China has consistently approached Korea-China relations with a high-handed and coercive attitude. In response, the best choice for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration was to adopt a confident and outspoken diplomacy based on the principle of reciprocity. This stance in diplomacy towards China could easily lead to misunderstandings, making it appear as if the administration was neglecting China while focusing on the United States and Japan. Such misunderstandings were likely, but diplomacy involves timing. In the ever-changing landscape of diplomatic strategies and tactics, finding a common ground is key. While there can be periods of stagnation, diplomacy seeks to find touchpoints through various routes and methods. When these touchpoints align, dialogue in diplomacy naturally follows. This pursuit is driven by national interest, which can turn yesterday's adversaries into today's allies.

Our government's efforts to find common ground with China have been ongoing. Beyond the official meetings between President Yoon and Chinese officials, there were continued behind-the-scenes contacts. Throughout 2023, there were more than ten exchanges of letters between the Korean and Chinese leaders, over five between the prime ministers, and more than five between the foreign ministers. Additionally, there were numerous dialogues and informal meetings at multilateral conferences. As a result of such communications, the Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit recently came to fruition.

The intersection of national interests between Korea and China is evident in the newly established or resumed consultative bodies. A prime example is the chief representative meeting for the second phase of the FTA negotiations scheduled for June. Additionally, the Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s request for a separate meeting with Samsung Electronics highlights China’s desire for Korean investment. The agreement to hold the Korea-China Investment Cooperation Committee meeting for the first time in 13 years aligns with this. The establishment of cooperative and coordination bodies, hotlines, and export control dialogues in the supply chain sector is an encouraging event that aligns with our national interests.

In the security realm, agreements were reached not only on high-level diplomatic and security dialogues and deputy foreign minister strategic dialogues but also on holding 1.5-track dialogues. This reflects both sides' willingness to gather diverse opinions on Korean Peninsula security issues. It also indicates a shift within China, recognizing that unreasonable and unilateral measures, such as the THAAD sanctions, that sever dialogue and relations with Korea are not beneficial for China.

The trilateral summit has now provided an opportunity for a turnaround in Korea-China relations. The success of this lies in the normal operation of the consultative bodies that serve our national interests. Our stance is clear: we approach this with openness and inclusivity. For the consultative bodies to operate normally, restraint from China is necessary. These bodies should no longer be politicized or securitized. China previously canceled the trilateral summit four times for political reasons, such as Japan's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and Korea's deployment of THAAD. It is imperative that consultative bodies are not politicized further. There needs to be acceptance of the norm that these institutionalized consultative bodies should operate independently of political issues.