There are many reasons for a China-South Korea summit in the near future, including pressure from the US-Japan-South Korea alliance or the rapprochement of Russia-North Korea relations.
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| South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 23, a sign of improving Sino-South Korean relations. (Source: Yonhap) |
Initiative from Beijing
South Korea and China are making moves to thaw their bilateral relationship.
This was demonstrated by Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent intention to visit South Korea, which is seen as Beijing's attempt to mend bilateral relations after Seoul strengthened its partnership with Washington and Tokyo.
During a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo on September 23, Xi Jinping welcomed Seoul's efforts to organize a trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan in 2023.
These moves show that China appears to be changing its approach in managing its relationship with South Korea.
According to the South Korean Prime Minister's Office, Mr. Han Duck Soo and Mr. Xi Jinping had a 30-minute meeting in Hangzhou on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games (ASIAD). This is the third time the two countries' top leaders have met since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit in November 2022, and he also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier this month.
During a meeting on September 23, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo noted that Seoul seeks a relationship with China based on “mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit” amid growing geopolitical uncertainty and disruptions to global supply chains.
South Korea has conveyed a policy message that Seoul advocates pursuing “healthy and mature South Korea-China relations based on international norms and rules.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese president described South Korea as an “inseparable neighbor” and expressed hope for progress in the strategic partnership between the two countries.
A South Korean government official said Xi Jinping raised the issue before Prime Minister Han Duck-soo made the suggestion, adding that the Chinese leader promised to “seriously consider” the issue. “This means Chinese President Xi Jinping knows that it is his turn to visit South Korea,” the South Korean official said.
Xi Jinping's last visit to South Korea was a state visit in July 2014, although Yoon's predecessor, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, visited China twice during his presidency from 2017-2022.
Therefore, President Yoon Suk Yeol invited President Xi Jinping to visit Seoul in a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022.
In response, Xi Jinping replied that he would make the visit once the Covid-19 pandemic was under control and suggested that President Yoon visit China at a convenient time.
Thus, Xi Jinping's idea of visiting South Korea is considered a sign of progress as the two countries are arguing over the location of the next South Korea-China summit.
Adjusting the level of US-Japan-Korea cooperation
During a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for Seoul's bid to host a trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan. The last trilateral summit among the Northeast Asian neighbors was held in 2019.
After mending ties with Japan, what President Yoon is aiming for is to find a way to resume the trilateral summit, which can be seen as a tool to control Seoul's relationship with Beijing.
To prepare for the trilateral summit, the three countries held a senior officials' meeting on September 26, with the participation of South Korean Assistant Foreign Minister Chung Byung Won and his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, Takehiro Funakoshi and Nong Rong, respectively.
Following previous precedent, the Chinese premier is likely to attend the upcoming trilateral summit, but there are growing hopes that it could be a catalyst for Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul.
“If the trilateral summit takes place, there will be bilateral meetings followed. This could be a precursor to Xi’s visit to Seoul,” a senior South Korean government official said.
Lee Dong-gyu, a researcher at the ASAN Institute for Policy Studies (South Korea), commented on China's stance: "As South Korea raises its national status. Security cooperation with the United States and Japan has been strengthened following the trilateral summit at Camp David last month, China does not want to be a target."
From China's perspective, South Korea is a partner with greater diplomatic leverage than the US and Japan, a South Korean expert said. Beijing may want to adjust the level of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan through South Korea.
Another reason emphasized by expert Lee Dong-gyu is that Russia-North Korea relations have been increasingly close in recent times.
A senior official from the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Han Duck Soo and Chinese President Xi Jinping, recent developments between North Korea and Russia were briefly mentioned, but no in-depth discussions were held, adding that China's stance is that Pyongyang-Moscow relations are a matter between the two countries.
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