Delayed US-China Diplomatic Battle, 'Wang Yi' Visits South Korea Before 'Pompeo'

Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, to Attend Only Quad Meeting in Japan from 4th to 6th... Plans to Resume in October
Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, Visits Korea Following the 19th Central Committee's Fifth Plenary Session

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is guiding the seat after taking a commemorative photo before the meeting with Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on Sejong-daero, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo postponed his visits to South Korea and Mongolia due to President Donald Trump's COVID-19 infection. Following this, the visit of Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, to South Korea is also expected to be delayed beyond the originally planned schedule.

According to diplomatic sources on the 6th, the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which was initially scheduled for mid-October shortly after Pompeo's visit to South Korea, is now being reconsidered and will be negotiated again at a later date. The Chinese Embassy in South Korea also stated that Wang Yi's visit had never been officially confirmed and that both sides plan to continue promoting face-to-face contacts as they agreed to increase high-level interactions.

The timing of Wang Yi's visit has been difficult to coordinate due to the 5th Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which begins on the 26th. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Nothing has been decided regarding Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit," while diplomatic sources reported, "Wang Yi's visit has been delayed ahead of Secretary Pompeo's visit." It is also known that Wang Yi's visit to Japan has been postponed along with the South Korea visit.

Some speculated that Pompeo's postponed visit influenced Wang Yi's schedule, but there appears to be little direct connection. Pompeo's visit, confirmed through a revised notice from the U.S. State Department on the 3rd (local time), is expected to be rescheduled after the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) foreign ministers' meeting involving the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia from the 4th to the 6th. The U.S. State Department explained, "We plan to make efforts to reschedule the Asia tour for mid-October in the coming weeks."

As a result, the diplomatic confrontation between the U.S. and China, which had attracted attention due to the consecutive visits of Pompeo and Wang Yi, is expected to enter a lull for the time being. There had been strong expectations that the visits of the two foreign ministers would put the South Korean government's balancing diplomacy to a serious test. The U.S. government has been openly targeting a 'anti-China bloc' across economic, security, and military fronts, while China has continuously conveyed its position amid U.S.-China tensions. The South Korean government has maintained the policy of "security through the ROK-U.S. alliance, economy through openness and inclusion."

Expectations for the 'Declaration of the End of War' and the 'October Surprise,' which surged following President Moon Jae-in's keynote speech at the United Nations (UN), are also likely to diminish somewhat considering the political schedules of the U.S. and China and the COVID-19 situation. On the 5th, Kim Jun-hyung, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, appeared on MBC Radio's Kim Jong-bae's Focus and dismissed the 'October Surprise' as mere speculation, explaining, "It seems almost certain that North Korea will not come to the negotiating table without concessions."

He added, "The South-North-U.S. or South-North-U.S.-China efforts to push for the declaration of the end of the war have not succeeded so far," and said, "It seems like a phased approach to what was previously attempted by South-North-U.S., and considering this situation, it does not look easy before the U.S. presidential election in November due to the U.S. circumstances."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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