First three-way summit could lead to development in East Asia
(From The Japan Times Dec. 18 issue)

東アジアの発展を目指す三首脳会談

While Japan, China and South Korea are neighbors in East Asia, Japan's ties with these nations have not been smooth because of such factors as Japan's wartime behavior in the 1930s and '40s, and territorial rows over the Senkaku islets with China and the Takeshima islets with South Korea. In a welcome move, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a summit in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Dec. 14.

The summit was meaningful since it represented the first trilateral meeting of this type. Japan, China and South Korea account for 75 percent of East Asia's gross domestic product, and about 17 percent of the world's GDP. The summit will be held every year. In the past the three nations had held summits on the sidelines of international conferences related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The three leaders said in their joint statement that the summit opened a new era in cooperative relations, and would lead to peace and development in the region. To prevent this statement from becoming empty words, the three nations need to act considerately toward each other by upholding the five principles mentioned ― openness, transparency, mutual trust, common benefits and respect of diverse cultures. In this sense, it is regrettable that Dec. 8 two Chinese survey ships remained within Japan's territorial waters near the Senkaku islets for over nine hours.

The three leaders agreed not only to increase currency swaps to help South Korea secure enough foreign currency as the won's value nosedives against the yen and the dollar but also to expedite the Chiang Mai Initiative designed to enhance currency swaps among ASEAN member nations, Japan, China and South Korea. They also agreed to work toward an early conclusion of world trade negotiations and to strengthen cooperation to denuclearize North Korea. The three nations should make every effort to make the annual summit a chance to deepen trilateral cooperation to better deal with real issues.

近隣国でありながら歴史認識や領土問題の摩擦で不安定な関係にあった日中韓の首脳が、福岡に集い会談を開催したことは喜ばしい動きだ。ASEANの会議の場を利用して行なわれていた三首脳会談が、今回初めて独立して開催されたことは意義深い。

三首脳は共同声明で、開催が三国間協力に新時代を切り開き、地域の平和と発展につながると宣言したが、その実現には解放性、透明性、相互の信頼、共益及び多様な文化の尊重という5原則の順守が必要だ。

三首脳は、通貨ウォンの下落に苦しむ韓国経済を支える外貨スワップ(交換)の拡充、東アジア地域の通貨セーフティネット「チェンマイ･イニシアティブ」強化、貿易交渉の早期妥結、北朝鮮非核化の早期実現で合意した。今後毎年開かれる三首脳会談が問題解決に向けた連携強化の場となるよう、日中韓は努力すべきだ。