Jung Eui-yong Heads to the Frontline of US-China Conflict... Will 'Tightrope Diplomacy' Begin?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will board a flight to China on the 2nd for the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting. At almost the same time as the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, a U.S.-Japan-South Korea security chiefs meeting will also take place in the United States. The meeting held in Xiamen, which is the closest city to Taiwan's Kinmen Island and also the frontline of U.S.-China tensions, raises concerns that it could send a negative signal to the U.S. side.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister Chung will depart for China around 1 p.m. on a government chartered flight. This is the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to China in 3 years and 5 months since November 2017.

On the following day, the 3rd, Minister Chung will hold a Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting and luncheon with Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi in Xiamen, Fujian Province. The meeting is expected to broadly discuss issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea, bilateral friendship, and international affairs. Minister Chung said, "There will be comprehensive consultations on the Korean Peninsula issue," adding, "We will conduct the consultations in a very frank and constructive manner."

Regarding the reason why the meeting is held in Xiamen instead of Beijing, Minister Chung explained it is due to "China's strict quarantine guidelines." However, as U.S.-China relations continue to deteriorate and tensions between China and Taiwan rise, holding the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xiamen, the city closest to Taiwan, is pointed out as potentially sending an unfavorable signal to the United States.

Professor Kim Hyun-wook of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy said, "Choosing Xiamen as the meeting location can be interpreted as China sending a message to the U.S. to 'hands off Taiwan' in response to the recent U.S. remarks on China during the Korea-U.S. Foreign and Defense Ministers' (2+2) meeting." China also reacted sensitively to the recent visit of the U.S. ambassador to Palau to Taiwan, warning, "Do not attempt to cross China's red line."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the 2nd (local time) in Maryland, USA, a U.S.-Japan-South Korea security chiefs meeting will be held simultaneously with the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the 3rd. The main topics of discussion will be North Korea's nuclear issue and related matters. As the U.S. and Japan build an 'anti-China' coalition front, discussions on measures to counter China are also likely to take place. Minister Chung stated, "The timing was not intentionally decided; it just happened to coincide," but the situation appears to be one of 'balancing diplomacy' between the two G2 countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.