President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, a key US ally in East Asia, arrived in Beijing at noon on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office.
The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge.
Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on his trip, which includes two days each in Beijing and Shanghai.
Lee will attend a Korea-China business forum on Monday morning, followed by a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are also expected to hold a memorandum signing ceremony, and Xi will later host a state banquet in Lee’s honour, according to South Korean media.
Lee’s state visit unfolds amid a turbulent global landscape, where Seoul must delicately navigate US-China rivalry and China-Japan tensions while pursuing mutually beneficial opportunities with Beijing.
He is expected to strike a balance between regional issues – including North Korea’s nuclear threats and stability in the Korean peninsula – and forging stronger ties with Beijing.
Ties between South Korea’s two key neighbours, China and Japan, are at their lowest point in years. The row was triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November that a cross-strait attack on Taiwan could be viewed as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, justifying a military response.
Beijing in turn has accused Tokyo of reviving militarism and retaliated with both diplomatic and economic measures.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States and its treaty allies South Korea and Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. Washington is also opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, Lee reaffirmed Seoul’s position to uphold the one-China principle, saying that maintaining regional peace and stability was of vital importance.
“I believe the healthy development of China-South Korea relations depends on mutual respect for each other’s core interests and tolerance of differing positions. In this context, on China’s most central concern – the Taiwan issue – we will continue to uphold the one-China principle,” Lee said.
Lee’s visit, on the invitation of Xi, comes ahead of a potential summit between the leaders of South Korea and Japan later this month.
Meanwhile, the Japanese foreign ministry announced that US President Donald Trump had invited Takaichi for a visit this year during a phone call on Friday.
Lee is also likely to discuss North Korea with his Chinese counterpart, as the Korean peninsula faces rising tensions from Pyongyang’s escalation of its nuclear and missile programmes alongside deepening ties with Moscow, including on the military front.
Lee, who took office last June, has pledged to pursue a “pragmatic” foreign policy that prioritises South Korea’s military alliance with the US, while carefully managing relations with China and Russia.
Lee last met Xi on November 1, on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea. At a press conference following their summit, Lee vowed to “overcome” the obstacles to bring about “better changes and bigger benefits for the governments of [South] Korea and China”.
Lee told CCTV on Friday that the purpose of his China trip was to “minimise or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the misunderstandings and contradictions” that had posed obstacles to the development of bilateral relations, and to “elevate and advance the ties to a new stage” so the two countries could mutually support each other.
South Korea’s national security adviser, Wi Sung-lac, said on Friday that the two leaders were expected to discuss “practical cooperation” in areas including supply-chain investment, tourism, and responses to transnational crime, according to Yonhap news agency.
China is a critical trading partner for South Korea. Nearly half of South Korea’s rare earth minerals, essential for semiconductor production, come from China. China also accounts for one-third of South Korea’s annual chip exports, making it the largest market. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
