China urged to take pragmatic approach as South Korea and Japan pledge closer cooperation

Some analysts believe that efforts to boost ties, and strengthen their mutual alliance with the US, is designed to counter Beijing

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Tokyo on August 23. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 4:17pm, 26 Aug 2025Updated: 9:47pm, 26 Aug 2025

Beijing has been urged to take a pragmatic approach towards South Korea’s new government following a recent summit that signalled a thaw in relations with Japan.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to work closely on economic and security issues, while also emphasising the need to move beyond historical disputes and the importance of their relationship with the United States. The three countries agreed to a three-way defence agreement in August 2023.

Analysts said Lee’s approach to foreign policy focused on shared international challenges and interests.

Zhan Debin, director of the Centre for Korean Peninsula Studies at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said: “Whether in the context of South Korea-Japan, US-Japan-Korea, or US-South Korea cooperation, the common denominator is addressing the so-called ‘China challenge’.

“From Beijing’s perspective, there is little reason to have high expectations of the Lee administration; China should adopt a pragmatic view of Seoul’s new government and its diplomacy.”

Lee, who was elected in June, made Japan the destination for his first foreign visit rather than the US. He was the first South Korean president to do so since the two countries normalised diplomatic relations in 1965.

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