‘Thirst’ for trilateral summit canceled… Foreign ministers of South Korea and China to meet.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Wang Yi, a member of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, are seen taking a commemorative photo ahead of their meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14, 2023. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 2023.7.14/News1

Amid the failure of the South Korea-China summit meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in San Francisco, USA, the foreign ministers of South Korea and China are set to meet this week. It is in the spotlight how they can elevate the discussion of bilateral issues that were ‘lacking’ between South Korea and China.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is set to hold a trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and Wang Yi, a member of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, in Busan, around October 26.

Although there has been no official announcement from the three countries yet, it is confirmed that the meeting will proceed as proposed by South Korea to Japan and China at the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of South Korea, Japan, and China last September.

In the diplomatic community, it is noted that bilateral meetings between South Korea and China, South Korea and Japan, and China and Japan may be held on the occasion of the trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting.

Unlike the search for cooperation among the three countries, the bilateral meetings are expected to exchange detailed opinions on issues of interest between the two countries.

In South Korea, President Yoon Seok-yeol had only a ‘three-minute conversation’ with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit last week and did not have a formal bilateral meeting. Therefore, it is expected that South Korea will try to fill the ‘gap’ in diplomacy towards China this time.

At that time, the South Korean government continued to coordinate with China until the last day of the APEC schedule, but it was reported that the meeting was eventually canceled due to the tight schedules of both sides.

In this regard, if Minister Park has a bilateral meeting with Minister Wang this time, he is expected to request China’s ‘constructive role’ in the North Korean issue in a clear tone.

Kim Jong-un, Secretary of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.© Reuters=News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Yoon-young

Recently, military cooperation such as arms trade between Russia and North Korea has been increasingly visible, and North Korea’s third military reconnaissance satellite launch is virtually in a ‘countdown.’ This has led to analysis that China’s role has become crucial.

China is still continuing bilateral cooperation with Russia and North Korea respectively. However, it keeps a certain distance from the so-called ‘North Korea-China-Russia triangular cooperation’ structure, which Russia is trying to empower, to the extent that it is unexpected.

For instance, Russia raised the joint military exercise of North Korea, China, and Russia as a trilateral issue on the occasion of the North Korea-Russia summit meeting last September, but China did not make any direct comments or movements on this.

In the context of increasing international concern over the intensification of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and the deepening of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, it is believed that China has decided that there is no ‘gain’ in getting involved. This is in line with the context that China has been paying a lot of attention to improving relations with the United States since the second half of this year.

Therefore, some analysts suggest that there is still enough room for South Korea to expect China’s influence on North Korean issues.

In particular, if North Korea actually carries out the third military reconnaissance satellite launch, which violates the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolution against North Korea, China’s cooperation is absolutely necessary in the joint response at the Security Council level.

Since North Korea resumed the test launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in March last year, China has been continuously holding the balance by exercising its ‘veto power’ in the joint response at the Security Council level.

Both inside and outside the diplomatic community, the ‘chemistry’ between Minister Park and Minister Wang is also being noted. Both ministers, who share the common interest of ‘mountain climbing,’ have mentioned ‘climbing together’ whenever they have the opportunity. It is a highlight where the two ministers are expected to have a relatively candid discussion on North Korean issues.

Both sides are also expected to join heads on civilian exchanges and economic security cooperation to normalize South Korea-China relations, in addition to North Korean issues.

Also, it is not excluded that they may exchange opinions on the visit of President Xi to South Korea after the South Korea-Japan-China summit in the context of promoting high-level exchanges.

ntiger@news1.kr