| President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Two leaders not on same page over reclusive state
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday showed subtle differences in their perceptions toward North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
During the first Seoul-Beijing summit held in nearly three years, President Yoon called for China to play an “active and constructive role” in reining in North Korea to stop its provocations amid its continued launches of various missiles, despite international condemnation.
In response, the Chinese leader urged South Korea to find its role and do as much as it can in order to get inter-Korean relations back on the right track.
According to South Korea's presidential office, Yoon and Xi sat down for talks for 25 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. The meeting was first of its kind since Dec. 23, 2019, when Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in and Xi met in Beijing for a trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan in Chengdu.
During the summit, Yoon voiced worries that North Korea is waging unprecedented provocations with its missile launches and being set for another nuclear test, and asked China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a neighboring country, to play an “active and constructive role.”
In response, Xi said that both South Korea and China have “common interests on the issues of the Korean Peninsula” and he hopes South Korea will do its part to improve inter-Korean relations actively.
Xi also said the success of Yoon's “audacious initiative,” a proposal calling for the denuclearization of North Korea in exchange for massive economic incentives, hinges on North Korea and he will support the initiative if North Korea reacts positively.
Along with North Korea issues, the two leaders showed subtle differences in setting their nations' ties moving forward.
In his opening remarks, Yoon said, “South Korea will closely communicate with China and cooperate to build mature bilateral ties based on the value of mutual respect and reciprocity.”
Yoon also noted that “The South Korean government is pursuing freedom, peace and prosperity of East Asia and the international community based on universal values and norms,” noting China's role is critical to bring peace and prosperity to the region, as well as the international community.
Xi called the two countries “inseparable partners” sharing “a broad range of common interests,” and said he hopes the two countries can work together to achieve “true multilateralism,” as opposed to unilateralism dominated by one single country.
The Chinese leader's remarks are interpreted to show his opposition to the U.S.-led coalition to contain Beijing.
Since Yoon's inauguration on May 10, there has been a shift in South Korea's position on the U.S.-China rivalry. South Korea has prioritized its relations with the United States over its ties with any other countries.
Yoon has been calling for increased reciprocity and mutual respect in Seoul-Beijing relations.
| In this combined photo, President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk during their summit at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday. Yonhap |
During the summit, Xi said he had been unable to visit Seoul in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he would be delighted to accept Yoon's invitation if the pandemic situation stabilizes, adding that he hopes Yoon will visit Beijing at a convenient time.
Earlier, Yoon and Xi were in a tug of war over the venue for their summit. Through the Chinese delegation to Yoon's inauguration in May, Xi invited the South Korean leader to visit China at a time of mutual convenience. In response, Yoon said he would like to invite the Chinese leader to visit Seoul for a summit. Xi's last visit to Seoul was in 2014. Yoon's predecessor Moon visited Beijing twice, in 2017 and 2019.
Tuesday's summit came as a surprise, as multiple sources at Seoul's presidential office had said earlier that there might be a casual talk between Yoon and Xi but chances were slim for them to have a formal summit.
Pundits said that the South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral summit on Sunday might have prompted Xi to sit down with Yoon. During the trilateral summit, the three countries agreed to share real-time data on North Korean missiles, which is a sign that their military cooperation is intensifying, and the leaders also mentioned issues relating to the Taiwan Strait.