A senior Chinese diplomat, Wang Yi, has suggested high-level talks between China, Japan, and South Korea during a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister in Indonesia.
According to a report, the proposal is interpreted as indicating a desire to restart negotiations between the three nations, and Japan would quicken its preparations to ensure that it happened before the end of the year.
Japan and South Korea are concerned about China’s growing military assertiveness, as well as rising tensions between China and the US on a variety of topics, including trade and self-rule in Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry did not respond quickly, while the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, on July 14, Wang and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Indonesia.
They considered a Japanese plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, but they were unable to reach an agreement.
According to the report, the subject of water could be a stumbling block to an early meeting of the three countries’ leaders.
The three countries’ leaders last met in December 2019.
