Regional affairs | Sun Ru

For China-Japan-Republic of Korea relations, arguably the most important trilateral relationship in the region, this year has not been good. The recent impeachment of ROK President Park Geun-hye, besides dealing a heavy blow to her political career, has delayed the trilateral leadership meeting that was originally scheduled for the end of 2016.

Things started getting more complicated after Seoul allowed Washington to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system on the ROK soil, which Beijing is vehemently opposed to. While Seoul's decision on THAAD has further strained China-ROK ties, the ongoing political drama in the ROK is not at all conducive to rebuilding trust among the three neighbors.