Chinese President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit starting on Sunday, signalling Beijing’s intent to strengthen ties with Seoul amid strained relations with Japan over Taiwan.
The visit marks the second meeting between Xi and Lee in just two months, an unusually short interval that signals China’s keen interest in reinforcing ties with South Korea and boosting economic collaboration and tourism, analysts say.
Relations between China and Japan are at their chilliest point in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Xi’s invitation to Lee for a state visit from Sunday is a calculated move aimed at deepening bilateral relations, especially ahead of the South Korean leader’s planned visit to Japan, analysts say.
“China wants to emphasise South Korea’s importance slightly more than before,” said Kang Jun-young, professor of political economics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
“China appears to have strategically decided that it would be better to have (Lee) visit China before South Korea holds a summit with Japan again,” he added.
The Lee administration has said it aims to “restore” ties with Beijing, acknowledging that China is South Korea’s largest trading partner.
The pivot follows strained relations under Lee’s predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, due to his closer alignment with Washington and Tokyo, as well as criticism of China’s handling of Taiwan.
Now, South Korea is trying to maintain balance while leaning towards cooperation with China to avoid being drawn into troubles that could threaten the Asian industrial powerhouse.
Lee said in December that he would not take sides in the diplomatic dispute between China and Japan.
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US alliance and North Korea
Still, China and South Korea face complex issues as China challenges the US — South Korea’s major ally in the region — and as nuclear-armed North Korea remains unpredictable.
China is North Korea’s major ally and economic lifeline.
Shin Beom-chul, a former South Korean vice defence minister and senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said Xi and Lee might discuss contentious issues such as efforts to modernise the South Korea–US alliance, which Beijing sees as aimed at curbing China’s dominance.
About 28,500 US troops are currently based in South Korea to counter threats from North Korea.
US officials have signalled plans to make those forces more flexible to respond to other threats, including defending Taiwan and checking China’s growing military reach.
“Korea is not simply responding to threats on the peninsula,” General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, said at a forum on December 29. “Korea sits at the crossroads of broader regional dynamics that shape the balance of power across Northeast Asia,” he said.
Lee’s agenda with Xi includes persuading China to facilitate dialogue with North Korea, experts said.
North Korea has dismissed Lee’s outreach, labelling him a “hypocrite” and a “confrontational maniac”.
Meanwhile, China and North Korea have been seeking closer coordination, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un standing shoulder to shoulder with Xi in September at a major military parade.
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Tech, supply chains and K-pop
Lee’s visit to Beijing is expected to address cooperation in areas including critical minerals, supply chains and green industries, his office has said.
Nearly half of South Korea’s supply of rare earth minerals — critical to semiconductor manufacturing — comes from China. Beijing also accounts for about a third of South Korea’s annual chip exports, by far its largest market.
Last month, South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed to work towards stable rare earth supplies, South Korea’s industry ministry said.
The visit may also foster partnerships in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, experts said.
China’s Huawei Technologies plans to roll out its Ascend 950 AI chips in South Korea next year, aiming to provide an alternative to Nvidia for Korean firms, Huawei’s South Korea chief executive, Balian Wang, told a press conference last month.
Wang said discussions were under way with potential customers, without naming them.
Huawei did not respond to questions from Reuters about Wang’s comments.
Another issue at stake is Beijing’s effective ban on K-pop content since around the 2017 deployment of a US-led missile defence system in South Korea.
The chief executive of SM Entertainment, a leading K-pop agency, will join Lee’s business delegation, according to local media.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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