Mint Explainer: What’s on Jaishankar’s agenda in South Korea and Japan?

livemint.com:

Mint breaks down his agenda. Jaishankar will first travel to Seoul, where he is expected to chair the 10th India-Korea Joint Commission Meeting with the new South Korean foreign minister Cho Tae-yul. At previous meetings, the two countries have focused on supply-chain security and collaborating on advanced technologies.

Last August, India’s deputy national security adviser Vikram Misri visited South Korea to discuss critical and emerging technologies. New Delhi and Seoul have also set up a trilateral dialogue with the US on critical tech, led by the National Security Councils of the three countries. Jaishankar will then travel on to Japan on Wednesday, where he will meet foreign minister Yoko Komikawa.

According to India’s foreign ministry, the two will discuss defence, digital technologies, semiconductors, clean energy and high-speed rail, among other things. Discussions on Indo-Pacific issues and China are also expected during the visit. While Japan is a member of the Quad and has spoken about its concerns regarding China, South Korea has been more reticent.

Seoul has attempted a more balanced policy as it tries to find a path between China and the United States. Trade and investment will also be a likely topic of conversation with both Tokyo and Seoul. While Japan has announced targets for large investments into India, Seoul’s investment in India remains relatively muted.

Experts have said that Seoul and New Delhi have often found it hard to prioritise the other. India’s focus in East Asia has typically been on China and Japan, while South Korea’s recent efforts to diversify its foreign partners, such as through the New Southern Policy, have focussed on Southeast Asian countries rather than India. India has also