Beijing is courting Seoul on key regional issues just ahead of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s inaugural state visit to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a trip that comes as tensions simmer between China,

In a conflict, Taipei’s fate would become quickly intertwined with the U.S.-Japan security alliance.

Tensions are rising in Japan-China relations over Taiwan. It started with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s statement to the Diet on November 7, 2025, in which she indicated that Japan could exercise its right of collective self-defense to mobilize the Self-Defense Forces if China used military force against Taiwan.

President Lee Jae Myung’s inaugural visit to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping comes as tensions simmer between China, Taiwan and Japanz

China considers Taiwan its own territory, a claim rejected by Taipei and contested by countries such as the United States and Japan, which back Taiwan’s security.