A meeting of foreign ministers of China, South Korea and Japan has resulted in a pledge to hold a summit between their leaders as soon as possible – the latest and strongest proof of tensions easing in North-east Asia.

In a statement after their meeting yesterday in Seoul, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida agreed to hold the three-way leaders’ summit at “the earliest convenient time”.

Their meeting was the first in three years of the three countries’ foreign ministers.

The annual event began in 2007 but was suspended after 2012, along with the leaders’ summit, as China and South Korea clashed with Japan over historical and territorial issues.

…Analyst Li Mingjiang of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies believes domestic politics is a key reason why China and South Korea are now open to improving ties with Japan.

“The Chinese leadership has been in place for the past two years, so there is a lesser need to take advantage of external disputes to consolidate their authority. Likewise for South Korea,” Prof Li added.