When the leaders of 20 of the world’s largest economies meet in Hangzhou (杭州), China, next month, political pundits, economic sages and newspaper columnists will leave no stone unturned in relaying, analysing and deciphering every last utterance that occurs over two days’ worth of meetings, debates and conferences.

But for those trying to grasp where relations between the leading Asian economies of China, Japan and South Korea are headed, just as important may be the meetings that fail to materialise, the things that are left unsaid.

With each of the three countries investing great diplomatic effort in bringing their leaders together in a series of planned two-way meetings on the sidelines of the G20, the occasion could well be a tipping point for the countries’ delicate and complicated relationships.

… Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said cooperation in trade, culture and people exchange between the two could more or less remain as it was, but hopes to advance such connections were thin. “It is almost impossible to discuss or implement any new major initiative or plan between China and Japan,” he said.