Home » Japan-South Korea dispute re-emerges, the United States’ “Tripartite Alliance” is thrown cold water_Sina News

Japan-South Korea dispute re-emerges, the United States’ “Tripartite Alliance” is thrown cold water_Sina News

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Original title: Japan-South Korea disputes re-emerged, the US “Tripartite Alliance” was thrown cold water

  Obviously it was a “big show” of three people, but in the end it became Sherman’s one-man show.

  On November 17, because of being “abandoned” by Japan and South Korea allies,U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy ShermanHad to attend the scheduled tripartite press conference alone.

  Recently, as the Director of the National Police Agency of South Korea visited the disputed islands (Korea called Dokdo and Japan called Takedo), Japan-South Korea relations have revived. Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kenryo Mori and the first official of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cui Jonggeon, who are currently attending the US-Japan-Korea Deputy Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the United States, even refused to attend the joint press conference. In the end, Sherman alone faced the media.

  Analysis believes that the United States has been trying to establish a trilateral alliance between the United States, Japan and South Korea in order to strengthen the United States’ East Asian alliance system and advance its Asia-Pacific strategy. However, due to the constant discord between Japan and South Korea, this concept may be difficult to advance in the short term.

  South Korea and Japan island disputes resurrected

  The incident originated from a “secret” trip taken by the director of the Korean National Police Agency, Jin Changlong.

  According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Changlong visited Dokdo on the 16th of this month, becoming the first South Korean National Police Director to visit Dokdo since 2009.

  South Korean government officials revealed to Yonhap News that the trip was originally a private one. Due to Dokdo’s diplomatic sensitivity, the South Korean National Police Agency also consulted with various government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before departure. But in the end, many media publicly reported Jin Changlong’s trip.

  After the news broke, the Japanese side expressed strong protest.

  The dispute between Japan and South Korea over the island has been around for a long time. At present, South Korea actually controls the island and calls it “Dokdo.” However, Japan claims to have sovereignty over the island and calls it “Takeshima.”

  This controversy affected the meeting of deputy foreign ministers of the United States, Japan and South Korea that is being held in the United States. On November 17, local time, the three vice foreign ministers held a trilateral meeting. According to the plan, they will jointly attend a press conference at the US State Department. However, in the end, the Japanese and South Korean vice foreign ministers did not show up.

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  According to Kyodo News on the 18th, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hiroshi said that due to the visit of the head of the South Korean National Police Agency to Takeshima, the Japanese side decided to withdraw from the joint press conference held with the Deputy Foreign Ministers of South Korea and the United States.

  The spokesperson of the Japanese Embassy in the United States also told Reuters that Jin Changlong’s visit to Takeshima triggered strong protests from the Japanese side. “Under this circumstance, we believe that it is not suitable to hold a joint press conference.”

  In response, South Korea’s Blue House stated that if the Japanese side did not attend the joint press conference of the U.S., Japan and South Korea Deputy Foreign Ministers because of Kim Changyong’s visit to Dokdo, then this situation can be said to be “very rare”.

  According to Yonhap News Agency, the Blue House emphasized that Dokdo is an inherent territory of South Korea in terms of history, geography, and international law. Kim Changlong’s visit to Dokdo on the 16th of this month “has no problems.”

  U.S. shows setbacks in tripartite alliance “big show”

  The Associated Press commented that the Japanese and South Korean allies refused to attend the joint press conference with the United States. This “big show” led by the United States and intended to show the unity of the tripartite allies of the United States, Japan and South Korea was frustrated.

  US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman faced media from various countries alone on the same day. She said that there are still “some bilateral disputes to be resolved” between Japan and South Korea, and emphasized that the absence of Sen Jianliang and Cui Zhongjian at the press conference “has nothing to do with today’s meeting.”

  Earlier on the 17th, Sherman held a three-hour trilateral meeting with Jianliang Mori and Cui Zhongjian. Sherman said that the three parties discussed the South China Sea issue, democracy and human rights issues, and reiterated their commitment to establish a “free, peaceful, stable, and open Asia-Pacific region.” The talks were “friendly, constructive, and fruitful.”

  The US State Department also stated in a statement that the United States, Japan and South Korea have reconfirmed that tripartite cooperation is critical to addressing a series of international issues, including addressing the climate crisis, developing clean energy, and fighting the new crown epidemic.

  Li Nao, a researcher at the Institute of the United States of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out to the Beijing News that the United States has always wanted to build a trilateral alliance between the United States, Japan and South Korea, or to link the United States-Japan alliance and the United States-South Korea alliance, so as to make the United States’ East Asian alliance system more stable.

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  “But from this joint press conference, we can see that due to territorial disputes and other historical issues, the contradictions between Japan and South Korea may escalate at any time. This makes the trilateral relationship that the United States is trying to build difficult in the short term. Substantial progress has taken place.”

  However, although the tripartite “big show” has just suffered a setback, the United States has not given up.

  According to Kyodo News, on November 18, local time, Sherman and Mori held bilateral talks. The two sides once again emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea.

  The US State Department stated that although Sherman and Mori both agreed that “the US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region”, they reiterated the importance of US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation to jointly respond. “Global Challenges of the 21st Century”.

  South Korean presidential election or a variable

  This meeting was the first meeting at the deputy foreign minister level of the United States, Japan and South Korea since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office. The tripartite joint press conference failed, which may mean that the relationship between South Korea and Japan is difficult to improve in the short term.

  The relationship between South Korea and Japan has fallen into a low point in recent years. The two countries have been at odds with each other on historical issues such as “forced labor” and “comfort women”. Fall into a long-lasting stalemate.

  Li Nao said that in the long run, territorial disputes between Japan and South Korea, issues left over from history, and perceptions of North Korea are all obstacles that are difficult to overcome in the relations between the two countries. The United States has not played a good coordinating role in the relationship between South Korea and Japan, and the relationship between the two countries often deteriorates due to some minor incidents.

  However, due to the upcoming presidential election in South Korea, there may be some new changes in the future relations between South Korea and Japan and between South Korea and the United States.

  At present, the opposition National Power Party presidential candidate Yin Xiyue and the ruling party’s Common Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-ming have formed a battle between the two powers. Who will become the successor of the current President Moon Jae-in? The presidential election on March 9 next year It will be clear later.

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  Li Nao analyzed that the South Korean presidential election may have a certain impact on the future relationship between South Korea and Japan. “If Yoon Seok-yue from the conservative wing wins the election, the relationship between South Korea and Japan may be improved; and if the progressive Lee Jae-myung is elected, the stalemate between South Korea and Japan may remain.”

  In addition, Li Zhao believes that the United States is also waiting for the results of South Korea’s presidential election to some extent. He said that if conservatives come to power, South Korea’s foreign policy may undergo relatively large changes.

  “South Korea is still seeking a balance between China and the United States, but the United States hopes to draw South Korea into its Indo-Pacific strategy. The most ideal state for the United States is the trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea. However, if the relationship between South Korea and Japan is difficult to understand, the United States may Seek to join the two bilateral alliances of the United States, Japan and the United States and South Korea into the Indo-Pacific strategy.” Li said, “But the reality may be different from what we imagined. Therefore, the United States is also waiting for the results of the presidential election in South Korea to some extent.”

  With regard to the Korean Peninsula issue that has attracted much attention, both South Korea and the United States expressed their satisfaction with the speed and direction of their consultations on the issue of the end-of-war declaration. Sherman also stated that the United States, Japan and South Korea reiterated their “common commitment” on the issue of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

  Li Nao pointed out that an important feature of the Biden administration’s North Korea policy is to reflect the interests of allies of the United States, Japan and South Korea. However, it needs to be realized that the strengthening of the alliance between the United States, Japan and South Korea is only a pressure on North Korea, which is in line with what North Korea hopes. The United States is the first to abandon its hostile policy and runs counter to it completely. Therefore, the strengthening of the trilateral relationship between the United States, Japan and South Korea may play a negative role in the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

Editor in charge: Zhang Jianli

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