The meeting early this month (April 2004) between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Premier Wen Jiabao and other Chinese leaders was conducted in a chilly atmosphere, according to Japanese media reports.

This can be easily imagined from issues reportedly discussed at the meeting, which apparently included incidents in the Senkaku or Uotsuri-shima islands (Diaoyu Islands, in Chinese) and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine. Expressing China's deep concern about the matter, Premier Wen reportedly pointed out that the Yasukuni issue has hurt the Chinese people's feelings and is preventing the two countries' leaders from visiting each other.

Late last year (2003), Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a special summit in Tokyo. The "Tokyo Declaration" issued at the meeting confirmed that the parties would cooperate with one another to create an "East Asia regional community" aimed at pursuing peace, prosperity and progress in Asia. The declaration underlined that the goal can be achieved only after cooperation is assured from China and the Republic of Korea, as well as from Japan and ASEAN.

It is essential to have relationship of mutual trust among the leaders of the Republic of Korea, Japan and China in order to exert concerted efforts towards this end.

Now, the leaders of ASEAN plus those of the three other Asian nations meet annually as a result of an initiative taken by the then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and other ASEAN leaders. In 1997 the ASEAN leaders invited the heads of the Republic of Korea, Japan and China to their summit marking the 30th anniversary of ASEAN's founding. On the occasion of the ASEAN plus 3 summit, the Republic of Korea, Japan and China agreed to hold leaders' meetings of their own. It is not so well known that persistent efforts were made by the late Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in the backdrop for the realization of the tripartite summit.

When Mr. Kim Dae Jung, the then president of the Republic of Korea, paid a visit to Japan in 1998, he was told for the first time by Mr. Obuchi of his desire to hold a three-nation summit. On the occasion of his visit to China in July 1999, Mr. Obuchi personally presented the said proposal to the Chinese side. China, however, initially responded negatively but Mr. Obuchi did not give up his efforts. After securing President Kim's consent through then Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, who visited Seoul in October 1999, Mr. Obuchi again persuaded Beijing to accept. As a result, the first meeting of the leaders of the three countries was informally instituted at the time of the ASEAN summit in Manila in November 1999.

The three-nation summit has been upgraded to a formal meeting of the national leaders since 2002. A joint declaration was furthermore issued at the Bali summit in October last year (2003). They decided to set up a foreign-ministerial "committee by three" in order to effect what has been pledged in the declaration. The first meeting of the committee will be held in Japan shortly.

We could see that the relationship between the U.S. and China would play as an important variable for long time in determining relationship among three countries, Korea, Japan and China. China having registered a tremendous growth for last two decades, many security experts in the U.S., Japan and Korea tend to express concerns to the future of the Chinese power.

However, I believe there should be opportunities for the Republic of Korea and Japan, which are allies of the United States, to make positive contributions in regard to issues between China and the United States.

Former U.S. Defense Secretary William J. Perry, in his book, "Preventive Defense - A New Security Strategy for America," stated that the United States must act to help China become a security partner of the United States rather than an adversary and stressed the importance of an engagement policy vis-a-vis China. The United States and China are likely to check each other on some occasions and to assist each other at others. It is not advisable to act under the preconceived notion that the U.S.-China relationship must always be one of rivalry.

France and Germany, which had fought four major wars since Napoleon's time, accomplished a historic reconciliation after the Second World War and laid the foundations of today's unified Europe. Many people believe that the outstanding leadership of both French President Charles de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer resulted in this great accomplishment.

In Northeast Asia, I believe, a regional community can be formed only by overcoming the distrust that exists among the Republic of Korea, Japan and China and by building up mutual confidence.

Such mutual confidence could be established only at the initiative of political leaders who have the wisdom and vision to see into the future. History shows that it has often changed course because of the different intentions of, and decisions by, the then national leaders.

The "East Asia regional community" awaits the emergence of such national leaders.


The author, 72, former foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, is the Korean chairman for the Japan-Korea Forum, and president of the Asahi Shimbun Asia Network. He also served as the South Korean ambassador to the USSR, Russia and Japan.