China, South Korea and Japan maintain summit amid rising regional divide | EUROtoday

Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea will on Monday will maintain their first trilateral assembly in additional than 4 years, as Beijing seeks to counteract U.S. efforts to work carefully with Tokyo and Seoul — two main American allies within the Asia-Pacific area.

The assembly underscores the balancing act that Tokyo and Seoul try to strike as they attempt to navigate the financial and army competitors between Washington and Beijing: Although Japan and South Korea are safety allies of the United States and have stepped up joint army drills within the area, in addition they depend on China as their largest buying and selling accomplice.