Despite politics, quiet progress on FTA between China, Japan and S Korea
Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida (right), South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-Se (center) and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi make a toast during a banquet at the South Korean foreign minister's residence on March 21, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea.
Despite icy relations between China and Japan and Japan and South Korea on the political front, talks on an economic free trade zone between the three countries continues to make gradual progress, according to Guangzhou-based South Reviews.
"Cooperation takes place only in situations in which actors perceive that their policies are actually or potentially in conflict, not where there is harmony," said Robert Keohane, professor of political science at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, in his 1984 book After Hegemony. This idea can also be applied to relations between China, Japan and South Korea.
On March 21, the finance ministers of the three countries met in Seoul, for the first time in three years. Although many see the meeting as laying the groundwork for a leaders' meeting between the three countries, which has already been canceled twice, the historical and territorial issues that divide them are still unresolved. Many scholars have stated, however, that process is often more significant than progress in ties between the three countries.
Quiet Progress
The ties between the three countries can be largely attributed to their relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the report. In 1997, then prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad invited the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea to attend an unofficial meeting with the leaders of ASEAN member countries. This led to the formation of the ASEAN+3 framework. In 1999, under this framework, the leaders of the three countries held an informal breakfast alone for the first time. In 2002, again under the same framework, the informal breakfast was replaced with formal three-party talks between the leaders. The following year the three leaders signed a declaration aimed at promoting trilateral ties.
A leaders' meeting between the three countries independent of the 10+3 framework was proposed for the first time in 2007 by then Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, at an ASEAN+3 meeting. The meeting took place in December 2008 in Fukuoka. In September 2011 the first practical cooperative institution for trilateral ties was established in Seoul under then South Korean president Lee Myung-bak.
The reestablishment of the leaders' meetings between the three countries took ten years all-in-all, and it took even longer for anything substantive to come of these meetings. The slow pace of these meetings is due to the complicated ties between the three countries, in addition to regional political exigencies. The low profile 1999 breakfast meeting likely took place because ASEAN was a critical focus for Chinese diplomacy at the time. The China-ASEAN free trade zone began operating at around this time. The breakfast meeting was largely a result of efforts by then Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi, but his enthusiasm for three-party relations was not shared by Junichiro Koizumi, who became Japanese prime minister in April 2001.
Although meetings between leaders of the three countries set to take place in 2005 and 2006 were canceled due to Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the remains of several Japanese Class A war criminals, Koizumi attended more three-party talks than any other Japanese prime minister.
The FTA between the three countries is a big test for relations. The idea was first proposed by China in 2002, but this got bogged down in "research" in academic circles in the three countries. This state of affairs continued until 2009 when Japanese prime minister Hatoyama Yukio came to office. In 2013 the three countries began formal negotiations on an FTA, but political exchanges between the three countries has been held back by what China and South Korea perceive as current prime minister Abe Shinzo's right wing leanings.
The effect of the suspension of leaders' meetings on cooperative efforts between the three countries was clear, but it did not derail cooperation altogether. Terada Takashi, professor of international politics at Kyoto's Doshisha University, said that relations between the three countries are low profile and progress is gradual. He says that although this wastes a lot of time, it strengthens links between them and sees them through political difficulties. He says that there is no going back on relations between the three countries. As well as the dedicated secretariat in Seoul dealing with three-party relations, the cooperative framework involves 18 ministerial-level talks, over 60 inter-governmental negotiating mechanisms and they are cooperating on over 100 projects, spanning a range of fields, including politics, economics, culture, education and the environment.
Contradictions
Relations are fraught with contradictions, however, according to the website.
When China was pushing for the ASEAN+3 framework, Japan was pushing for an ASEAN+6 framework, which would have added India, New Zealand and Australia into the mix. It was just at this time, however, that the three party talks between China, South Korea and Japan were established, independently of ASEAN.
Trade dependency has been posited as the main reason for the continuing economic cooperation between the three countries, but this could be managed through bilateral ties. As the three largest economies in East Asia, cooperation is clearly also driven by geopolitical considerations, according to the article.
In 2002 Chinese exports to Japan comprised 14.9% of the country's total exports. This proportion shrunk to 7.4% in 2012. Imports from Japan to China also shrunk from 19.1% in 2002 to 10.6% in 2012. This suggests that trade between the two countries has reduced significantly. Andrew Yeo, an associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America, said China's interests extend to more than just trade issues. He says that China is looking to undermine the US' power and influence in the region. "The trilateral framework, while still lacking political bite, does provide an institutional framework to advance such longer term strategic goals," Yeo said in a paper published on the Zurich-based International Security and International Relations Network.
See-Won Byun, a PhD student in political science at The George Washington University, wrote that the three party cooperative relationship between China, Japan and South Korea allows Japan and South Korea to maintain their alliance with the US, at the same time as being China's trade partners. Byun seems to have overlooked the differences between Japan and South Korea, however, the article said. China's concerns over the US-Japan alliance is of a different order of magnitude to its concerns over the US-South Korea relationship. South Korea also appears to benefit the most from the three-party cooperative relationship, despite its lack of international clout, according to the article. South Korea plays the role of facilitator in three way talks. This is, in part, because the country does not posit a strategic threat to either Japan or China, as they perceive it as a smaller country. Yeo also pointed to this idea, when he wrote, "Having often been the victim rather than aggressor in Northeast Asian affairs in the past, South Korea is also in a unique position to mediate and moderate the trilateral agenda," adding that "It is not by coincidence that the TCS is headquartered in Seoul rather than Beijing or Tokyo."
Japan has always been keen to introduce other US allies into the economic partnership, to dilute China's influence. This makes it quite puzzling as to why Japan supported the trilateral cooperative initiative. From Japan's perspective, however, the impulse to keep China close while at the same time diluting its influence is not necessarily contradictory. This is reflected in Japan's FTA diplomacy in general. Japan is currently participating in negotiations over the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, the China-South Korea-Japan FTA and the ASEAN-led RCEP.
Another contradiction in the trilateral relationship is the lack of correlation between political and economic relations. Takashi said that this is a feature of North East Asian regionalism in general. He said that just as tensions over territorial and historical disputes heighten, trade and investment talks have continued unaffected, but this does not mean that bilateral relations between the three are improving.
Further Cooperation
Looking at the ties from the perspective of politics, economics and the maximization of strategic interests, it's hard to find a reason for three-party cooperation.
Politics in Japan, China and South Korea are traditionally dominated by patriotism, which allows them to influence and mobilize their citizenry quite easily. This is quietly changing in terms of diplomatic issues, however. Although historical and territorial issues continue to provoke anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea, a February 2014 study by South Korean think tank the Asan Institute for Policy Studies suggests attitudes have turned around. In the survey 68.3% of respondents were in favor of improving Japan-South Korea relations, with only 27.3% opposed this idea. Those in favor of a leaders' summit between South Korea and Japan comprised 54.9% of respondents, as opposed to 38.8% who were against the idea. Chinese tourists have also flocked to Japan in great numbers over recent years despite tensions over historical issues.
At present, relations are focused on functional cooperation on concrete issues. If this were the limit of cooperation, then ministerial-level summits would be enough, but the fact that the leaders of the countries continue to meet suggests that there is a will for political exchange. It remains to be seen, however, if the climate of regional affairs will push relations forward or hold them back.
Despite politics, quiet progress on FTA between China, Japan and S Korea｜WantChinaTimes.com
Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida (right), South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-Se (center) and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi make a toast during a banquet at the South Korean foreign minister's residence on March 21, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea.
Despite icy relations between China and Japan and Japan and South Korea on the political front, talks on an economic free trade zone between the three countries continues to make gradual progress, according to Guangzhou-based South Reviews.
"Cooperation takes place only in situations in which actors perceive that their policies are actually or potentially in conflict, not where there is harmony," said Robert Keohane, professor of political science at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, in his 1984 book After Hegemony. This idea can also be applied to relations between China, Japan and South Korea.
On March 21, the finance ministers of the three countries met in Seoul, for the first time in three years. Although many see the meeting as laying the groundwork for a leaders' meeting between the three countries, which has already been canceled twice, the historical and territorial issues that divide them are still unresolved. Many scholars have stated, however, that process is often more significant than progress in ties between the three countries.
Quiet Progress
The ties between the three countries can be largely attributed to their relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the report. In 1997, then prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad invited the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea to attend an unofficial meeting with the leaders of ASEAN member countries. This led to the formation of the ASEAN+3 framework. In 1999, under this framework, the leaders of the three countries held an informal breakfast alone for the first time. In 2002, again under the same framework, the informal breakfast was replaced with formal three-party talks between the leaders. The following year the three leaders signed a declaration aimed at promoting trilateral ties.
A leaders' meeting between the three countries independent of the 10+3 framework was proposed for the first time in 2007 by then Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, at an ASEAN+3 meeting. The meeting took place in December 2008 in Fukuoka. In September 2011 the first practical cooperative institution for trilateral ties was established in Seoul under then South Korean president Lee Myung-bak.
The reestablishment of the leaders' meetings between the three countries took ten years all-in-all, and it took even longer for anything substantive to come of these meetings. The slow pace of these meetings is due to the complicated ties between the three countries, in addition to regional political exigencies. The low profile 1999 breakfast meeting likely took place because ASEAN was a critical focus for Chinese diplomacy at the time. The China-ASEAN free trade zone began operating at around this time. The breakfast meeting was largely a result of efforts by then Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi, but his enthusiasm for three-party relations was not shared by Junichiro Koizumi, who became Japanese prime minister in April 2001.
Although meetings between leaders of the three countries set to take place in 2005 and 2006 were canceled due to Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the remains of several Japanese Class A war criminals, Koizumi attended more three-party talks than any other Japanese prime minister.
The FTA between the three countries is a big test for relations. The idea was first proposed by China in 2002, but this got bogged down in "research" in academic circles in the three countries. This state of affairs continued until 2009 when Japanese prime minister Hatoyama Yukio came to office. In 2013 the three countries began formal negotiations on an FTA, but political exchanges between the three countries has been held back by what China and South Korea perceive as current prime minister Abe Shinzo's right wing leanings.
The effect of the suspension of leaders' meetings on cooperative efforts between the three countries was clear, but it did not derail cooperation altogether. Terada Takashi, professor of international politics at Kyoto's Doshisha University, said that relations between the three countries are low profile and progress is gradual. He says that although this wastes a lot of time, it strengthens links between them and sees them through political difficulties. He says that there is no going back on relations between the three countries. As well as the dedicated secretariat in Seoul dealing with three-party relations, the cooperative framework involves 18 ministerial-level talks, over 60 inter-governmental negotiating mechanisms and they are cooperating on over 100 projects, spanning a range of fields, including politics, economics, culture, education and the environment.
Contradictions
Relations are fraught with contradictions, however, according to the website.
When China was pushing for the ASEAN+3 framework, Japan was pushing for an ASEAN+6 framework, which would have added India, New Zealand and Australia into the mix. It was just at this time, however, that the three party talks between China, South Korea and Japan were established, independently of ASEAN.
Trade dependency has been posited as the main reason for the continuing economic cooperation between the three countries, but this could be managed through bilateral ties. As the three largest economies in East Asia, cooperation is clearly also driven by geopolitical considerations, according to the article.
In 2002 Chinese exports to Japan comprised 14.9% of the country's total exports. This proportion shrunk to 7.4% in 2012. Imports from Japan to China also shrunk from 19.1% in 2002 to 10.6% in 2012. This suggests that trade between the two countries has reduced significantly. Andrew Yeo, an associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America, said China's interests extend to more than just trade issues. He says that China is looking to undermine the US' power and influence in the region. "The trilateral framework, while still lacking political bite, does provide an institutional framework to advance such longer term strategic goals," Yeo said in a paper published on the Zurich-based International Security and International Relations Network.
See-Won Byun, a PhD student in political science at The George Washington University, wrote that the three party cooperative relationship between China, Japan and South Korea allows Japan and South Korea to maintain their alliance with the US, at the same time as being China's trade partners. Byun seems to have overlooked the differences between Japan and South Korea, however, the article said. China's concerns over the US-Japan alliance is of a different order of magnitude to its concerns over the US-South Korea relationship. South Korea also appears to benefit the most from the three-party cooperative relationship, despite its lack of international clout, according to the article. South Korea plays the role of facilitator in three way talks. This is, in part, because the country does not posit a strategic threat to either Japan or China, as they perceive it as a smaller country. Yeo also pointed to this idea, when he wrote, "Having often been the victim rather than aggressor in Northeast Asian affairs in the past, South Korea is also in a unique position to mediate and moderate the trilateral agenda," adding that "It is not by coincidence that the TCS is headquartered in Seoul rather than Beijing or Tokyo."
Japan has always been keen to introduce other US allies into the economic partnership, to dilute China's influence. This makes it quite puzzling as to why Japan supported the trilateral cooperative initiative. From Japan's perspective, however, the impulse to keep China close while at the same time diluting its influence is not necessarily contradictory. This is reflected in Japan's FTA diplomacy in general. Japan is currently participating in negotiations over the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, the China-South Korea-Japan FTA and the ASEAN-led RCEP.
Another contradiction in the trilateral relationship is the lack of correlation between political and economic relations. Takashi said that this is a feature of North East Asian regionalism in general. He said that just as tensions over territorial and historical disputes heighten, trade and investment talks have continued unaffected, but this does not mean that bilateral relations between the three are improving.
Further Cooperation
Looking at the ties from the perspective of politics, economics and the maximization of strategic interests, it's hard to find a reason for three-party cooperation.
Politics in Japan, China and South Korea are traditionally dominated by patriotism, which allows them to influence and mobilize their citizenry quite easily. This is quietly changing in terms of diplomatic issues, however. Although historical and territorial issues continue to provoke anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea, a February 2014 study by South Korean think tank the Asan Institute for Policy Studies suggests attitudes have turned around. In the survey 68.3% of respondents were in favor of improving Japan-South Korea relations, with only 27.3% opposed this idea. Those in favor of a leaders' summit between South Korea and Japan comprised 54.9% of respondents, as opposed to 38.8% who were against the idea. Chinese tourists have also flocked to Japan in great numbers over recent years despite tensions over historical issues.
At present, relations are focused on functional cooperation on concrete issues. If this were the limit of cooperation, then ministerial-level summits would be enough, but the fact that the leaders of the countries continue to meet suggests that there is a will for political exchange. It remains to be seen, however, if the climate of regional affairs will push relations forward or hold them back.
Despite politics, quiet progress on FTA between China, Japan and S Korea｜WantChinaTimes.com
someone here sure is thrilled about this news and looking forward to the next FTA deal with China
