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Reporter's Notes: Abe China, Japan, South Korea, Chengdu Summit Downplays Hong Kong Xinjiang Influence

2019-12-25T09:56:10.510Z


After a lapse of 19 months, the China-Japan-ROK Summit was held on December 24 in Chengdu, China. As the Chinese leader was Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in both arrived a day earlier.


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Written by: Dylan

2019-12-25 15:56

Last updated: 2019-12-25 17:42

After a lapse of 19 months, the China-Japan-ROK Summit was held on December 24 in Chengdu, China. As the Chinese leader is Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in both flew to Beijing one day in advance to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Due to worrisome changes in the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula, Japan ’s latest remarks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), and other factors, the importance and attention of the summit has increased significantly, and Abe In the talks with Wen Zaiyin, both involved the recent Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues that international public opinion has paid attention to, and have also become the focus of media reports from all sides. Li Xiang, a special reporter of "Hong Kong 01" and editor-in-chief of "View the World", brought his close observation at the summit.

China, Japan, and South Korea is an interesting triangle relationship. The three countries' economic aggregate accounts for one fifth of the world's total. However, it is difficult to see that the three parties are at the same time when bilateral relations are improving. On the 24th, the three East Asian nations that influenced, contained, and blended with each other launched a "Shuzhong confrontation" in Chengdu, which bears the strong "Three Kingdoms Romance" imprint.

The plane landed in Chengdu. From Shuangliu Airport to the hotel, there were police cars and the flags of China, Japan, and South Korea. As the host and the last home diplomacy of 2019, Chengdu did its best to prepare for this time. The Japan-South Korea summit asked several citizens in Chengdu. They all expressed their understanding and expectations of the China-Japan-Korea Leadership Summit despite the host's inconvenience caused by the traffic control required for the event.

Trilateral Relations: Benefit-Driven Seeking Cooperation and Win-Win

At the summit, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said that Chengdu is an ancient and modern city, not only with a deep historical and cultural accumulation, but also a center of innovation and openness in Southwest China. The wonderful story of the Shu Kingdom in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the Tang Dynasty poet Shi Fu, who has lived in Chengdu for many years, are well known in Korea and Japan, and monks from both Korea and Japan have also left here to seek the practice of the Fa.

Coincidentally, in the speech of the China-Japan-Korea Leadership Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also mentioned the three countries, but he believed that the three countries were not Wei, Shu and Wu of the year because they were not competing with each other, but cooperated with each other. relationship. After saying this sentence in Chengdu, it triggered a small range of laughter.

The data shows that the total population of China, Japan and South Korea is 1.6 billion, accounting for 70% of the population of East Asia, the total economic volume is nearly 21 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for nearly 90% of East Asia, and accounting for one fifth of the global economy. In 2018, the total trade between the three countries reached 7,200 Billion US dollars, with mutual investment close to 12 billion US dollars. Humanities exchanges are getting closer and closer. In 2018, the three countries exchanged more than 30 million person-times with each other. Such a convergence of interests also urged the three countries to face each other pragmatically, put aside their differences, and expand their areas of cooperation. Regardless of the RCEP or the various types of cooperation under the "China-Japan-Korea + X" model, the three countries have played a pivotal role.

At this summit, the "Prospects for the Next Ten Years of China-Japan-Korea Cooperation" was published. The reporters from Japan and South Korea who participated in the report could see the concern of this document, especially for promoting the signing of the RCEP in 2020 and accelerating China-Japan-Korea free trade. Regional negotiations, these two things are enough to affect the regional economy and even the world economy.

In addition, some analysts believe that the U.S. factor also exists in China, Japan, and South Korea's "embracing group" model. The three countries have received economic pressure from the United States in succession. At the summit, the three countries also reiterated their concerns about protectionism. They also reiterated the principle of free trade.

The China-Japan-ROK Summit attracted much attention because of the turning point on the Korean Peninsula. (Xinhua News Agency)

The Korean Peninsula issue is also one of the issues of common concern to China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. In the second half of 2019, the Peninsula issue took a turn for the worse. In the face of the impasse in the DPRK-US dialogue, Shinzo Abe expressed his dissatisfaction with North Korea at the beginning of the press conference. Test missiles are not conducive to the peace and stability of the peninsula. They urge the United States and North Korea to continue dialogue and continue to demand North Korea to release the kidnapped Japanese hostages. At the same time seek help and understanding from China and South Korea on this issue.

In terms of cultural exchange, it is worth mentioning that Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, Tokyo, Japan in 2020, Beijing, China in 2022, and the Olympic Games were successively held in South Korea, Japan, and China. This also highlights the role of the three East Asian countries in the world. importance.

However, the approach of the three countries to each other does not mean that the honeymoon of the three countries' cooperation has begun, because the honeymoon depends entirely on the status of relations between the two countries.

Sino-Japanese relations: shelve controversy cautiously optimistic

The 2019 China-Japan opinion survey report released by the Japanese statistical agency shows that the causes of the gap between China and Japan are still historical issues and territorial issues. Even the mutual evaluation of Chinese and Japanese people is more negative than positive, and the current government is Shelving these disputes by reducing the sensitivity and discussion of these issues does not mean that the disputes have been resolved, like Pandora's box, where it is a box, and when opened it is a "bomb". Disarming the "bomb" does require wisdom.

On the eve of the opening of the China-Japan-Korea Leaders Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew from Tokyo to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and once again invited Xi Jinping to pay an official state visit to Japan in 2020. The recent discussions in Japan about whether to receive Xi Jinping with the "Guo Bin" courtesy specifications originated from the problems of Hong Kong and Xinjiang that continue to ferment. During his meeting with Xi Jinping, Abe called on China to exercise restraint on "provocation" around the Diaoyu Islands and "deeply worry" about the situation in Hong Kong. He stressed that it is important for Hong Kong to remain free and open under the "one country, two systems" policy. I hope China can explain it openly. In his response, Xi Jinping only stated that the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues are China's internal affairs.

However, at a press conference in Chengdu by Abe, Japan ’s Yomiuri Shimbun asked questions about whether Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues should be given to Xi Jinping as a “guest of honor” in Japan. In order to cut, I first answered that I had expressed concerns about related issues, and then said that "Guo Bin" is a diplomatic courtesy. It can be seen that Abe does not want the fermentation of the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues in Japan's domestic public opinion to become a stumbling block to Sino-Japanese relations.

Some reporters also asked how to treat China's first domestic aircraft carrier "Shandong Ship" (also the second naval carrier of the Chinese Navy) formally entered service, and Abe only said that he would not comment on the armaments of the relevant countries.

In addition, through this summit, China also agreed to lift the ban on Japanese beef. After 18 years, Japanese beef entered the Chinese market again.

Prior to Xi Jinping's visit to Japan next year, Abe was obviously reluctant to let Sino-Japanese relations flourish. (Reuters)

China-South Korea relations: slowly climbing but not recovering

South Korean President Moon Jae-in went to China to attend the summit. He did his best. First, before Xi Jinping, he bluntly stated that "Hong Kong and Xinjiang affairs are China's internal affairs." He also said according to local conditions: "China and South Korea say "" Tian Shi "and" Dali "already exist, this time with" renhe "." Wen Zaiyin also personally invited Xi Jinping to pay an official state visit to South Korea in 2020 at an appropriate time.

Relations between China and South Korea deteriorated due to the "Sad" incident in 2017. Chinese folks have initiated a boycott of South Korean companies Lotte Department Store. There are rumors that Chinese officials have issued a "restriction on South Korea" in the cultural industry. True or false, but the commercial activities of South Korean entertainment stars to China after the Sade incident are almost extinct. The image of China in Korean public opinion has plummeted. It was not until the major changes in the situation on the Korean peninsula in 2018 that Sino-ROK relations eased in the face of the more important North Korean-US denuclearization negotiations. However, relations between the two countries have not recovered to the level before the Thaad incident.

Japan-ROK Relations: Nothing to resolve differences

Through the live observation of the press conference, the meeting between Abe and Moon Jae-in and the content of their discussions became the focus of attention of the media of various countries during the China-Japan-Korea Leadership Summit. Since the outbreak of the trade war between Japan and South Korea in July 2019, relations have plummeted, and even demonstrations against Japan have broken out in South Korea. The summit is a meeting between leaders of the two countries since September 2018, after a lapse of 13 months.

Shinzo Abe said at a press conference that he and President Moon Jae-in have expressed their responsibility for resolving issues between Japan and South Korea. In the South Korean side, they still insist that the South Korean side comply with the Japan-South Korea Claim Agreement, if not. The relationship between nations cannot be established.

A spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed the efforts of leaders of the two countries to try to resolve the issue through frequent meetings, and Wen Jae-yin was willing to resolve differences through dialogue. However, the spokesman did not disclose what specific measures the South Korean side would take.

Abe invites Xi Jinping to visit Japan and encounters resistance again in the "new era" Sino-Japanese relations are not stable

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The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Officer Daiying Masato told reporters that the meeting between the leaders of Japan and South Korea lasted for 45 minutes. This was a short meeting.

It can be seen from this that in fact, the meeting between Abe and Wen Zaiyin simply expressed their respective positions on the existing issues.

Chengdu, China, Japan, and South Korea, the "Shu Zhong Du", came to an end on Christmas Eve, a traditional western holiday. How will the story of the "New Three Kingdoms" develop?

Sino-Japanese relations Sino-Japanese-Korea Xinjiang re-education camp analysis and comment

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2019-12-25

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