ASIA: China, Japan, SK To Hold Trilateral Summit 26-27 May

(MNI) London - A  trilateral summit between China, Japan, and South Korea is set to take place 26-27 May in the South Korean capital Seoul. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office announced the meeting earlier today. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed a short time ago that PM Fumio Kishida would be in attendance, while Premier Li Qiang is set to represent China at the talks. This event will be the first time since 2019 such a trilateral has taken place. 

• The long time gap between such summits, brought about by the pandemic but extended due to Tokyo and Seoul's deepening relations with the US, comes as Beijing seeks to dissuade both countries from further restricting the sale of chip-making equipment and advanced semiconductors to China as part of a US-led effort. Bloomberg notes, "Japan has been resisting US pressure to further curb sales to China. The Biden administration is also trying to bring South Korea into the agreement that includes Japan and the Netherlands."
• There is the prospect that last-years Camp David trilateral between Japan, South Korea, and the US is repeated in 2024. This new forum is something China has warned against, arguing that it risks stoking regional tensions. 
• While the stated topics of the 26-27 May meeting are relatively formulaic (sustainable development, people-to-people exchanges etc.) the more thorny issues of North Korean belligerance and Japanese/South Korean concersn about Chinese military actions in the South and East China Seas are likely to feature.