South Korea's Lee to head for Japan summit a week after meeting China's Xi

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, a week after one with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Seoul seeks to balance ties with both neighbours.



The summit in Japan's Nara City comes amid a growing diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, and analysts expect Takaichi to highlight the stability of three-way ties between the United ‌States, Japan and South Korea.



Lee has taken an approach of "pragmatic diplomacy" in seeking to balance ties with China and Japan, which could making it easier to reach pacts in business fields such as artificial intelligence (AI).



"Historically, disputes between China and Japan go on for a long time," said Yang Kee-ho, a Japanese studies professor at South Korea's Sungkonghoe University.



"It is very likely that the Sino-Japanese relationship will deteriorate throughout (Takaichi's) term in office."



Beijing was infuriated after Takaichi said in November a Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could be deemed an existential threat to Japan, which could trigger a military response from Tokyo.