earticle

영어

In recent decades, the development of trilateral institutions among China, Japan and Korea has begun to take shape. The three countries initiated the first independent Trilateral Summit mechanism in 2008 and established a Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in 2011. Nonetheless, trilateral cooperation at the political-diplomatic level remains unstable at present. The periodic ups and downs caused by political discord have repeatedly posed serious challenges to the stability and sustainability of the trilateral relationship. This study looks at the institution building of trilateral cooperation, and analyzes its strengths and weaknesses. We first examine the achievements of trilateral cooperation, and find that a pyramid “summitminister- working level” structure of institution building has been established. In the meantime, pragmatic cooperation have been steadily advanced, with over 20 ministerial consultation mechanisms and specific projects established in a wide range of fields. Second, we investigate the problems and challenges for trilateral cooperation. Trilateral cooperation has revealed its vulnerability and susceptibility to its three pairs of bilateral relationships. Thus, the framework of trilateral cooperation is still far from an authentic multilateral arrangement, but can more accurately be characterized as the aggregate of three embedded pairs of bilateral relationships. Third, this study discusses future visions of trilateral cooperation, and takes notice of its two significant functions, that is, to provide a diplomatic buffering to bilateral conflicts and to serve as an extra-regional coordination mechanism for three countries’ business and economic interests. Finally, the study aims to make several policy recommendations for the future of trilateral cooperation.