Focus On Future-Oriented Collaboration
Japan, China, and South Korea held a Trilateral Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on 28 October,. The meeting included Japan’s Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Funakoshi Takehiro; China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sun Weidong; and South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Mr. Chung Byung-won.
The officials commended the progress in trilateral cooperation since the Trilateral Summit held in May this year, marking the first summit in four-and-a-half years. All three delegations expressed their commitment to strengthening future-oriented collaboration across several areas of mutual interest.
Focus On Key Regional And Global Challenges
Acknowledging shared challenges, such as climate change, disaster risk, and demographic shifts like low birthrates and ageing populations, the officials agreed to advance cooperation in six specific areas identified during the May Trilateral Summit. These areas include:
- People-to-People Exchanges
- Sustainable Development, including Climate Change Response
- Economic Cooperation and Trade
- Public Health and Ageing Society Initiatives
- Science and Technology Cooperation, including Digital Transformation
- Disaster Relief and Safety Measures
The heads of delegation agreed to continue discussing projects that would benefit all three countries, promoting stronger ties and shared solutions in these fields.
Preparation for Upcoming Ministerial Meetings
The officials also concurred on preparing for the upcoming Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the next Trilateral Summit, aiming to hold both at the earliest convenient time. Additionally, Japanese Minister Iwaya met with Vice Minister Sun and Deputy Minister Chung, expressing a desire to strengthen cooperative efforts and looking forward to welcoming China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul at the next ministerial meeting.
This renewed focus on trilateral collaboration demonstrates the countries’ commitment to addressing pressing regional issues through collective action and fostering a stable and cooperative Northeast Asian region.