A Three-Way Partnership

By YU YAN

A Three-Way Partnership

By YU YAN

China, Japan and South Korea aspire for closer cooperation

The recent China-Japan-South Korea summit bolstered mutual understanding between the three East Asian nations, but concrete actions are needed to implement agreements reached at the summit, Chinese analysts said.

On May 21-22, a trilateral summit for China, Japan and South Korea was held in Tokyo. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak attended the meeting. With the aim of reinforcing mutual trust and demonstrating solidarity among neighbors, the leaders discussed post-quake cooperation, disaster management and nuclear safety, among other topics.

“Facing an international fnancial crisis, massive natural disasters and a complicated regional and international situation, the cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea has experienced tests and achieved incredible development,” said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the summit. “The three countries are in the same boat, we row together to counter challenges and the spirit of mutual trust is worth continuing to pursue.”

Nuclear safety

“The biggest achievement was the joint declaration issued after the summit,” said Shi Yongming, an associate research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies.“The document sends out positive political signals for closer cooperation between the three neighbors.”

In the joint declaration, leaders of the three countries vowed to deepen “future-oriented comprehensive cooperative partnerships.” The three sides agreed to help each other, especially at times of disaster and adversity. They also agreed to cooperate on disaster management and nuclear power safety.

Nuclear safety was put on the agenda due to the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, and this summit enhanced the three countries’awareness of cooperation in this field, Shi said. Previously, many countries believed backward nuclear technology was a major cause of nuclear accidents, but now the reality turned out poor management could also be a probable reason.

It was possible to establish a regional nuclear safety cooperation mechanism in the Northeast Asian region, but Japan should be more transparent in providing data to its neighboring countries, Shi said.

During the recent nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan shared data with the United States based on the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security the two allies signed in 1951. But it has not provided adequate data to China and other neighboring countries, Shi said.

Japan was hit by a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11. The quake and following tsunami caused a serious nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in northeast Japan. Radiation leaks at the plant severely polluted the environment, sparking concerns in neighboring countries.

Japan is committed to sharing with China, South Korea and the rest of the world lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear crisis, said the joint declaration. While the three nations shared the belief that nuclear energy remains an important option for many countries, they stressed nuclear safety was a prerequisite for developing nuclear energy.

Leaders attending the trilateral summit visited earthquake-ravaged Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures on May 21. It was the frst time for foreign leaders to visit Fukushima since the March 11 quake and tsunami.

Free trade

At the summit, Wen proposed to launch offcial negotiations on a China-Japan-South Korea free trade area next year. But there are still a lot of challenges ahead, said Shi.

“A China-Japan-South Korea free trade area will benefit Japan and South Korea greatly, but the two countries have adopted conservative attitudes in this regard,” Shi said.

One of the challenges is the opening of agricultural product markets in Japan and South Korea, he said. The degree of market openness in the two countries remains quite low, with high tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers. Also, industry associations and local authorities in Japan often conduct strict reviews of imports and exports.

In trade with Japan and South Korea, China runs a huge deficit. But it will treat this deficit with a positive approach, try to strike a trade balance and never resort to trade protectionism, said Wen.

Japan is China’s third biggest trade partner following the EU and the United States. It is also China’s biggest import market. Statistics of China’s Ministry of Commerce show trade between China and Japan reached $297.8 billion in 2010, up 30.2 percent over the previous year. Of this total, China’s exports to Japan were $121.1 billion, and its imports from Japan were $176.7 billion.

In the same year, China’s trade volume with South Korea was $207.2 billion, up 32.6 percent. Of the total trade volume, China’s exports to South Korea were $68.8 billion, and its imports from South Korea were $138.4 billion.

The Chinese Government welcomes companies from Japan and South Korea to invest in China, Wen said. China gives national treatment to all foreign-funded enterprises, while protecting their intellectual property rights as well as other legitimate rights and interests. The Chinese Premier also said he hoped Japan and South Korea provide convenience for Chinese investors in their countries.

Post-quake support

To help Japan accelerate its recovery from the disaster, China will send trade delegations and tourists to Japan, and ease import restrictions on Japanese food products provided Tokyo ensures their safety, Wen said.

At a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Wen said the Chinese Government will invite 500 students from Japan’s disaster-hit areas to China. In addition, 4,000 Chinese and Japanese young people will visit each other’s countries this year.

China will also boost high-level official exchanges with Japan to strengthen political trust in the run-up to the 40th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in 2012. Wen and Kan agreed to promote renewable energy and improve energy effciency in their talks as well.

Sino-Japanese friendship is built on positive feelings among both peoples, Wen said. On the sidelines of the trilateral summit, Wen met Japanese students from the Sophia University in Tokyo and encouraged them to make concrete efforts to promote friendship between the two nations.

His visit to Fukushima also aimed to show China’s support for Japanese people’s efforts to overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes, said Liu Jiangyong, a professor with the Institute of International Studies of Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Although China’s assistance in Japan’s disaster relief and reconstruction helped improve relations between the two countries, their deep-rooted problems, such as territorial disputes in the East China Sea, cannot be solved in the short term, Shi said.

In September 2010, a collision between two Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese fshing boat in waters off the Diaoyu Islands caused a diplomatic row. Sino-Japanese relations hit a rough patch afterwards.

China, Japan and South Korea face challenges such as stalled talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and disputes over maritime rights, Liu said.

While increasing exchanges, the three countries should work for long-term security in the region by facilitating dialogue on sensitive issues and preventing the escalation of disputes, he said.

China’s Proposals

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made a seven-point proposal on expanding cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea at their fourth trilateral summit in Tokyo on May 22:

● supporting Japan’s post-quake reconstruction

● attaching great importance to nuclear safety

● promoting practical cooperation on disaster prevention and reduction

● promoting liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment

● developing renewable energy and popularizing energy-saving technology

● speeding up construction of demonstration bases for circular economy

● boosting people-to-people and cultural exchanges

(Source:Xinhua News Agency)