Chinese, Japanese leaders land in South Korea for three-way summit

The prime ministers of Japan and China, Fumio Kishida and Li Qiang, have arrived in Seoul a day before their joint summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeoul.

Yoon first met Li on Sunday, South Korean broadcasters reported, and a meeting between Yoon and Kishida was also planned.

Alongside bilateral relations, the one-on-one talks are also due to focus on preparations for the first summit between the three East Asian economic powers in four and a half years on Monday.

Japanese media reported that Kishida was also scheduled to hold his first meeting with the new Chinese prime minister, in office since March 2023.

The situation in the region and beyond has changed dramatically in the years since the last tripartite meeting at the end of 2019, Kishida told The Japan Times newspaper before his departure for Seoul.

The summit aims to improve trilateral cooperation with the economy, trade and climate change on the agenda.

Such trilateral meetings were originally due to be held annually but it has been several years since such a gathering due to the pandemic, coupled with tensions between South Korea and Japan. Relations have since improved between the two nations, both close allies of the US.

Both are linked to China through close trade ties while also sharing Washington's concerns about Beijing's expanding reach.