China, South Korea and Japan hold summit amid growing regional divide

The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea will hold their first trilateral meeting in more than four years on Monday, as Beijing seeks to thwart US efforts to work closely with Tokyo and Seoul – two key US allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting highlights the balance Tokyo and Seoul are trying to strike as they try to navigate the economic and military competition between Washington and Beijing: although Japan and South Korea are U.S. allies in security and have intensified their joint military exercises in the In this region, they also count on China as their main trading partner.