中文
By Anthony Moretti
The highly anticipated trilateral meeting involving leading officials from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) has concluded successfully. The summit, which took place for the first time since 2019, saw the participation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, raising expectations for a significant strengthening of relationships among the three nations.
If this were to happen, there would be a realistic chance that prospects for expanding trade and emphasizing peace would follow. The region would not be the only one benefiting from such a framework, but what might the United States think of such an arrangement?
When examining how Western media framed the summit, it's worth noting this excerpt from the New York Times: Talks focused mainly on areas where common ground could more easily be found. In fact, the summit's declaration acknowledged the idea of common ground, announcing plans for continued meetings among representatives of the three nations, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and demonstrating a strong commitment to achieving climate change goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.
This last point should not be dismissed. Keep in mind that former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, and if he is re-elected in November, it is likely he would again view such international accords as detrimental to the U.S. If powerful nations such as China, Japan and the ROK remain committed to climate change policies, the U.S. would find itself increasingly isolated in this area.
To understand a Middle Eastern perspective on the summit, one could look at Al Jazeera, which noted, "China's No. 2 official has urged Japan and South Korea to reject protectionism and uphold globalization as the countries kicked off their first trilateral summit in almost five years." With this in mind, China emphasized to its Japanese and ROK partners that maintaining stable supply chains would be particularly relevant in the near term.
I am intentionally omitting Chinese, Japanese, or ROK media sources solely because they would likely view the summit from the perspective of their nation. The New York Times and Al Jazeera allow us to review more diversified international analyses.
The bottom line is that overlapping and important themes emerged from the summit, with free trade and regional security at the apex.
Although there is no free trade agreement among the three nations, they robustly trade with each other. 2022 data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity indicated that "China and the ROK each exported $150 billion in goods to the other that year. Meanwhile, China exported $178 billion in goods to Japan, which reciprocated by sending $135 billion to China. ROK's exports to Japan totaled $30 billion, while Japan's exports to ROK exceeded $50 billion." Clearly, the three nations value each other as crucial partners in sustaining their domestic economies.
China has the second-largest economy in the world, with Japan close behind in the fourth place and the ROK not far off in the 14th. Each is a powerhouse on the global stage, and together, they become even more robust.
Worries about free trade have heightened throughout Asia due to the growing protectionist stance emanating from Washington. The country that once banged the free-trade drum the loudest for decades has recently turned to bashing China and laying down punitive tariffs on its goods. Of course, the U.S. would like to convince its domestic and international audiences that America's national security is under threat because of China's economic policies. What shouldn't be overlooked is that the U.S. could have taken a long-term approach like China did with electric vehicles (EVs). For example, the U.S. could have encouraged its top corporations to invest in and develop what we now call green technology.
China did, and it is reaping the benefits, as are consumers who purchase Chinese-made solar panels and EVs, among other items.
In terms of security, Western perspectives often attribute tensions in East Asia to China's "aggressive" stance toward its neighbors and the "belligerent" actions and rhetoric from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Washington and its allies often overlook how repeated naval exercises involving the United States and multiple nations, including ROK, along with other unfriendly moves by the U.S., including the billions of dollars in weapons the U.S. has been sending to Taiwan, have increased their tensions with China and the DPRK, destabilizing the entire region.
A headline from the BBC accurately assessed what the U.S. is doing with China's Taiwan: "The U.S. is quietly arming Taiwan to the teeth." According to the BBC, this extensive arming is deemed necessary because the island has aging battle tanks, an inadequate number of modern missile systems, insufficient manpower, and poor counterintelligence operations. Of course, the U.S. is more than willing to help with providing weapons. In fact, just days ago, one influential U.S. senator promised that even more weapon systems would soon be delivered. In doing so, the U.S. has seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.
Justifiably, the Chinese premier called on China, Japan and the ROK to uphold the spirit of strategic autonomy, maintain bilateral relations, promote a multipolar world, and oppose engaging in bloc or camp politics.
Consistent progress toward the promise and implementation of free trade will help increase trust among the three countries. A free trade agreement would be a significant step, should it happen in the coming years. Added trust will also come by promoting people-to-people exchanges across various cultural and educational fields. Likewise, if each country views the other two as necessary partners in promoting peace throughout East Asia, future summits will start and end positively.
Certain nations that may seek to undermine such prospects would be wise to reconsider the benefits of free trade and lasting peace, as they have done in the past for many years.
Anthony Moretti is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership of Robert Morris University.
