China, Japan, and South Korea are preparing a trilateral trade agreement through an initial diplomatic meeting in Tokyo. This event has not occurred in six years. The same countries declare that due to the lack of international certainty, this could be a watershed moment in world history.
There are key requests among the three countries to strengthen their relationship:
- Tokyo and Seoul are asking Beijing for help in persuading North Korea to denuclearize, and to stop North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia, which is impacting the conflict in Ukraine.
- China has on its agenda concerns about proximity with the United States and U.S. military bases in Asia, as well as the issue of Taiwan.
- China maintains a blockade on imports of Japanese food, which Tokyo wants to be eliminated.
It remains to be seen whether this will be favorable for China and the United States. A potential agreement could strengthen Asia, but the competitiveness of the North American bloc may be impacted by the insults leveled by Trump against allies Mexico and Canada. Additionally, there are international security issues and long-standing stability at stake.