Seoul workshop: Northeast Asian political and security dynamics in flux

The workshop focused on political and security relations between China and South Korea, China and Japan as well as the broader dynamics in Northeast Asia as viewed from Australia. An overarching aim of the workshop was to understand the interactions between the rise of China, the regional security challenge posed by North Korea, the rebalancing toward Asia by the United States, as well as tensions in China–Japan relations and Japan-South Korea relations. 

The workshop was organised by the East Asia Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in partnership with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. It was the second in a series of three workshops and forms part of a broader research, outreach and publication project.  The project examines and contrasts Australian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese perceptions of the political and security implications of China's rise in Northeast Asia. The participants included some of the most well-informed experts from Australia, China, South Korea and Japan, for example, Dr Hahm Chaibong of Asan Institute, Professor Ren Xiao of Fudan University, and Dr Park Cheol-Hee of Seoul National University.

A report will be published by the Lowy Institute after the conclusion of the project.

An agenda of the workshop, list of workshop participants and background information are available.

Workshops were also held in Beijing on 20 September and Tokyo on 27 September.