It seems that we’re watching a diplomatic dance play out in Northeast Asia. This past weekend, the foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea met in Tokyo to discuss closer trilateral engagement during what the Japanese Foreign Minister described as an “increasingly severe international situation” and “a turning point in history.” Things were looking unusually peachy: the three countries, which have had historically fraught relationships, agreed to deepen trade ties and restated their goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

The collegiality was on full display in the summit photo: the ministers smiled and held hands—an unusually warm image considering that such meetings typically yield stiff, unsmiling portraits. It was political theater with an unexpectedly cheerful twist.