The Prime Ministers of China and Japan will arrive in Seoul on Sunday for a triangular summit, the first of its kind in five years, which is expected to focus on economic issues rather than geopolitical matters. After their arrival in the South Korean capital, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are scheduled to meet separately with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. On Monday, the three leaders will hold their first trilateral meeting in five years.
Despite North Korea conducting more advanced weapons tests than ever before and China conducting military exercises around Taiwan, experts expect the summit to bypass security issues and seek common ground for easy diplomatic gains. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a key diplomatic ally, having previously resisted condemning Pyongyang for its military tests and instead criticizing joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.
A presidential office official in Seoul stated that issues related to North Korea "are difficult to resolve clearly and quickly in a short time," thus the summit will focus more on economic cooperation. He added, "A joint declaration is currently being discussed," indicating that Seoul will attempt to include security issues "to some extent."
