"South Korea's Diplomatic Balancing Act: Hosting Japan and China to Reassure US Allies"

South Korea hosted a trilateral meeting with senior diplomats from China and Japan in an effort to ease Beijing's concerns over the growing cooperation between the two US allies. The meeting aims to pave the way for the resumption of three-way summits among the countries' leaders, which were last held in 2019. China has been proactive in seeking trilateral cooperation since its relations with South Korea soured in 2017. The meeting is seen as an opportunity for strategic communication, confidence-building, and measures to prevent crises. South Korea is also pushing for a separate visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.