South Korea, China and Japan Thursday announced plans to hold a trilateral meeting in October or November, in what could be a diplomatic breakthrough following months of tension.

A statement from the president’s office in Seoul said President Park Geun-hye and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed trilateral cooperation would contribute to peace and prosperity in the region. The summit is expected to take place in South Korea.

Tensions have been running high in China and South Korea over demands that Japan more fully apologize for wartime atrocities committed under Japanese occupation. An apology by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month largely repeated what his predecessors had said, drawing criticism from Seoul and Beijing.

… “Park’s presence in the parade is no doubt very significant,” Wu Fengshi, associate professor at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, said. “She is expecting support from China in case of a major conflict with North Korea.”