Overview

• South Korea, Japan, and China have agreed to restart trilateral summits and revive cooperation, marking the first meeting of the top diplomats from these countries in about four years.
• The three countries, which together account for about 25% of the global GDP, have agreed to push for diverse cooperation projects in areas such as trade, technology, public health, sustainable development, and security.
• Despite the agreement, no specific timing has been set for the trilateral summit, suggesting that it may not happen this year.
• South Korea and Japan, key U.S. military allies, have recently pushed to beef up trilateral security cooperation with the United States, a move that has angered China.
• South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. held maritime drills involving the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula, their latest show of force against North Korea.