China eager to help break Japan-South Korea stalemate at summit and ease way to free-trade agreement
- Meeting in Chengdu will strengthen Beijing’s influence in East Asia and fill diplomatic void left by US, observers say
- Japan’s Shinzo Abe and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in expected to hold first bilateral talks in more than a year, governments say
China will strengthen its influence in East Asia by mediating a bitter dispute between Japan and South Korea when their leaders arrive in Beijing on Monday, diplomatic observers said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping separately in the capital before flying to Chengdu, in southwestern Sichuan province, where the visitors would join Premier Li Keqiang for an annual trilateral summit the following day, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.
This would be the eighth summit since 2008 after postponements caused by years of historical and territorial disputes despite the countries’ geographical proximity, similar cultures and close economic ties.
It will come at a time when Tokyo and Seoul – the most important US allies in Asia – are locked in a bitter feud over history and trade that showed no sign of being settled soon.
While the United States has kept its distance from the dispute, Beijing, increasingly seen as a strategic rival by Washington, was eager to mediate, observers said.