S.Korea, China and Japan to hold summit on Monday in Seoul

The leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan will hold a trilateral summit in Seoul on Monday. It will be the first one in four and a half years.

South Korea's presidential office said on Thursday that President Yoon Suk-yeol will also hold bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Sunday.

The presidential office said the topics for discussion will include economy, people-to-people exchanges, digital technology, and cooperation in times of disaster. It said a joint statement is likely at the end of the summit.

The three Asian countries had agreed to hold a summit every year starting in 2008 to boost regional cooperation. But the initiative has been disrupted by feuds between Japan and South Korea and the COVID-19 pandemic. Their last trilateral summit was held in December 2019.

The presidential office said the summit will serve as a turning point for fully restoring and normalizing the trilateral cooperation system.