At the Korea-China Summit Table... Expected Agendas Include North Korean Nuclear Issue, Indo-Pacific Strategy, and Supply Chains

Rapid Communication Between the Two Countries After the US-China Summit
President Yoon Requests China's Role on North Korean Nuclear Issue
Likely to Mention the Shrinking Exchanges as Well

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee, Beijing Correspondent Hyun-jung Kim, Reporter Hee-jun Jang] President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet face-to-face for the first time on the 15th. The two leaders plan to focus their discussions on 'North Korea's nuclear issue' and 'supply chain problems' during this meeting.

Inside and outside the presidential office, there is an assessment that the timing of discussions on security and maintaining mutual reciprocity, which are mutual interests between Korea and China, is well aligned. In particular, it is analyzed that the decisive factor for holding the Korea-China summit was the consensus formed after U.S. President Joe Biden and President Xi openly discussed current issues as leaders of the G2 countries at the U.S.-China summit the day before, agreeing to continue communication between the two countries.

In this meeting, President Yoon is expected to repeatedly request China to take a responsible role in North Korea's denuclearization, in light of North Korea's completion of preparations for its seventh nuclear test and repeated missile provocations. During his Southeast Asia tour, President Yoon condemned North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations at meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the Korea-U.S., Korea-Japan, and Korea-U.S.-Japan summits, and called for international cooperation for North Korea's denuclearization.

In particular, through the joint statement of the Korea-U.S.-Japan leaders, the three countries strengthened their security cooperation, and in the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, they agreed to maintain and reinforce seamless cooperation and a strong combined defense posture. At the U.S.-China summit, President Biden also requested President Xi to play a role regarding North Korea's nuclear issue.

President Yoon is also expected to explain the Korean version of the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative announced at the Korea-ASEAN summit on the 11th. Based on values such as freedom, peace, and prosperity, President Yoon promised to establish an international order and implement an open and fair economic order, proposing to elevate Korea's relationship with ASEAN to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) involving military, economic, and environmental cooperation.

The presidential office stated, "If major powers pursue mercantilist interests without regard to strategic competition, there is a risk of making mistakes without fully recognizing subtle changes." However, China is expected to react negatively, especially since the Korea-U.S.-Japan joint statement mentioned the Taiwan Strait issue, which may lead to demands for explanations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Moreover, despite this year marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, it is expected that there will be mentions of the still subdued exchanges between Korea and China following China's ban on Korean cultural content (Hanhanryeong) after Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Experts believe that with a reconciliatory atmosphere created and dialogue between the Korea-China leaders realized, this should serve as an opportunity to slowly resolve the accumulated issues between the two countries. Gap-yong Yang, senior researcher at the National Security Strategy Institute, said, "From China's perspective, they believe they had an open conversation with the U.S. leader the day before," adding, "If the Korea-China summit results in the two leaders sharing a joint understanding and producing concrete missions and action plans to implement it, it will be regarded as significant progress."

Jae-woo Joo, professor of Chinese Language at Kyung Hee University, said, "Since this is the first meeting between the Korea-China leaders since 2019, it should be meaningful to exchange pleasantries and present the positions of both governments," and predicted, "After clarifying through this meeting that the Indo-Pacific strategy is not aimed at China, it is expected to open the way for practical high-level discussions on pending issues between Korea and China, including the second round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations."

However, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued an official statement regarding the date or formal status of the Korea-China summit.

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