The region has no table, Korea must rekindle the trilateral
Near the end of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi and Qing statesman Li Hongzhang signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, in which Qing China acknowledged Joseon as a fully independent and sovereign state. It stripped away Chinese influence over the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty — a moment still invoked today as a symbol of China's "Century of Humiliation."…
In 1895, Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi and Chinese Qing statesman Li Hongzhang signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which recognized the independence of the Korean Joseon Dynasty and ended Chinese influence over the region. This event, still commemorated as a symbol of China's "Century of Humiliation," took place at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War.
Fast-forward to the year 2026, and the geopolitical landscape has dramatically changed. Chinese President Xi Jinping is striving for the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," aiming to restore the East Asian order prior to 1895. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is rejecting the post-World War II liberal international order, pushing for a more multipolar world.
With Northeast Asia now at the heart of global geopolitics, South Korea must approach regional affairs with creativity and adaptability. The country must endeavor to rebuild a framework for trilateral dialogue and cooperation among Korea, China, and Japan. Above all, it must find a way to strengthen the U.S.-Korea alliance and foster a Korea-U.S.-Japan partnership.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- The region has no table, Korea must rekindle the trilateral koreatimes.co.kr
