China, Japan, South Korea-Part I: A Shaky Triple Alliance

The trilateral summit, established in December 2008 in Fukuoka, Japan, was designed to strengthen economic ties and build a cooperative framework for disaster relief.

But it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Prior to 2025, the summit was shelved for more than four years due to souring relations.

Leading up to the most recent sit-down on March 22, 2025, China telegraphed that it had expectations, particularly of Japan.

On March 19, 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mao Ning, told a press conference:

“We hope Japan will act on its pledges of comprehensively advancing the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit and building a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era.”

https://dentedarmour.substack.com/p/unpacking-china-part-i-fallout-diplomacy#:~:text=The%20trilateral%20summit,the%20new%20era.%E2%80%9D