SEOUL\/BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit starting on Sunday, signalling \u200bBeijing\u2019s intent to strengthen ties with Seoul amidst 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\u2019s keen interest in reinforcing ties with Seoul and boosting economic collaboration and tourism, analysts say. Relations between China and Japan hit the lowest point in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019s invitation to Lee for a state visit from Sunday is a calculated move aimed at deepening bilateral relations especially before the South Korean leader visits Japan, analysts say.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina wants to emphasize South Korea\u2019s importance slightly more than before,\u201d said Kang Jun-young, professor of political economics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina \u200cappears to have \u200cstrategically decided that it would be better to have (Lee) visit China before South \u200cKorea \u2060holds a summit \u200bwith Japan \u200cagain,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Wi Sung-lac, Lee\u2019s top security adviser, said on Friday that he expected the Lee-Xi summit to open a \u201cnew chapter\u201d in bilateral ties.<\/p>\n
He added that the two countries were preparing more than 10 deals on the economy, businesses and climate, although they were not working on a joint statement.<\/p>\n
The Lee administration has said it aims to \u201crestore\u201d ties with Beijing, acknowledging China is South Korea\u2019s largest trading partner. The pivot follows strained relations between the two countries under Lee\u2019s predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, due to his closer alignment with Washington and Tokyo, as well as criticism of China\u2019s handling of Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Now, South Korea is trying to maintain a balance but leaning toward cooperation with China \u2060to avoid being forced into any troubles that would threaten the Asian industrial powerhouse. Lee said in December he wouldn\u2019t take sides in the diplomatic dispute between China and \u200cJapan.<\/p>\n
US ALLIANCE AND NORTH KOREA Still, China and South Korea face complex issues \u200das China challenges the US, South Korea\u2019s major ally in \u200dthe region, and as nuclear-armed North Korea remains unpredictable.<\/p>\n
China is North Korea\u2019s major ally and economic lifeline.<\/p>\n
Shin Beom-chul, a \u200dformer South Korean vice defense minister and a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said Xi and Lee might discuss some contentious issues such as efforts to modernize the South Korea-US alliance.<\/p>\n
Currently, about 28,500 US troops are based in South Korea to counter any threat from North Korea. US officials have signalled a plan to make those US forces more flexible to respond to other threats, such as defending Taiwan and \u200bchecking China\u2019s growing military reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cKorea is not simply responding to threats on the peninsula,\u201d General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, said at a forum on Dec. 29. \u201cKorea sits at the crossroads of broader \u2060regional dynamics that shape the balance of power across Northeast Asia,\u201d he said. Wi, the security adviser, said South Korea would also try to reassure China that its plans to build nuclear-powered submarines were aimed only at deterring North Korea. Lee\u2019s agenda with Xi includes persuading China to facilitate dialogue with North Korea, experts said, at a time when North Korea has dismissed Lee\u2019s outreach.<\/p>\n
TECH, SUPPLY CHAINS AND K-POP Lee\u2019s visit to Beijing is also expected to address cooperation in areas including critical minerals, supply chain and green industries, his office said earlier.<\/p>\n
Seoul sources nearly half of its supply of rare earth minerals, critical to semiconductor manufacturing, from China. Beijing also accounts for a third of Seoul\u2019s annual chip exports, the largest market by far. Last month, South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed to work toward stable rare earth supplies, South Korea said.<\/p>\n
The visit may also foster partnerships on artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, experts said. China\u2019s Huawei Technologies plans to roll out the Ascend 950 AI chips in South Korea this year, aiming to provide an \u200calternative to Nvidia for Korean firms, Huawei\u2019s South Korea CEO Balian Wang told a press conference last month.<\/p>\n
Wang mentioned ongoing discussions with potential customers, without naming those clients. Huawei did not respond to questions from Reuters about Wang\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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