China, with its increasingly assertive diplomacy and rapid military buildup, is a common security threat for Japan and South Korea, but the two countries also need to work with China as a partner in East Asia's economic growth, veteran journalists from South Korea said in a recent symposium in Tokyo.
The realization of the often-touted economic integration in East Asia is still far off, but countries in the region — especially the three Northeast Asian powers — should start from where they can cooperate and at least set a long-term vision for the region's future, the journalists said.
Editorial writers from five major South Korean newspapers took part in the symposium organized Feb. 10 by the Keizai Koho Center to talk about how the two countries can work together amid the changing dynamics of the world's fastest-growing region. Motohiro Ikeda, a senior editorial writer for the Nikkei business daily, served as moderator of discussions.