South Korea to woo China's Xi with state summit as APEC wraps up
The stakes are high for Lee, who assumed office in June following the ouster of his hawkish predecessor over a failed attempt to impose martial law
Highlights:
- South Korea's Lee aims to balance ties with China
- Xi and Lee to discuss denuclearisation of Korean peninsula
- South Korea seeks easing of China's entertainment content restrictions
Chinese President Xi Jinping will wrap up his three-day visit to South Korea on Saturday with a state dinner and summit hosted by President Lee Jae Myung, the newly elected US ally who has pledged to balance Seoul's ties with Beijing.
The stakes are high for Lee, who assumed office in June following the ouster of his hawkish predecessor over a failed attempt to impose martial law. Lee faces the dual challenge of protecting South Korea's export-driven economy and lowering tensions with North Korea amid rising China-US competition.
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Earlier this week, Lee also hosted US President Donald Trump for a rushed state visit, showering him with gifts and praise before announcing a surprise trade deal aimed at lowering US tariffs in return for billions of dollars in South Korean investment in the United States.
Lee is set to hold similar events for Xi on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Gyeongju, including a summit meeting and state dinner. This is Xi's first visit to South Korea in 11 years.
Seoul is a key US military ally, hosting thousands of American troops and relying on the US nuclear umbrella for protection from nuclear-armed North Korea. Yet its economy is deeply entwined with not just the US, but also China, which has grown increasingly challenging for South Korean companies and wields influence over North Korea.
Lee's office has said that he and Xi will discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a diplomatic phrase used to refer to North Korea's nuclear weapons, which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Pyongyang, a military and economic ally of China, issued a statement on Saturday dismissing the denuclearisation agenda as an unrealisable "pipe dream".
Trump had offered to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea, but Pyongyang did not make a public response.
Trump met with Xi on Thursday ahead of the APEC summit, striking a deal that includes lower US tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for Beijing's crackdown on illicit fentanyl trade, the resumption of US soybean purchases and continued flow of rare earths exports. The Chinese president also held talks with the leaders of Japan, Canada, and Thailand.
In closing remarks at APEC on Saturday, Xi proposed the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, while Lee said he hoped for regional collaboration on AI and demographic changes.
A source familiar with negotiations confirmed Chinese state media reports on Saturday that member states had agreed on a joint leaders' statement, as well as declarations on AI and demographic change.
CHARM OFFENSIVE?
As Trump skipped this week's APEC leaders' summit, China positioned itself as the predictable champion of free and open trade, a role the US has dominated for decades. China will host APEC in Shenzhen next year, Xi announced.
John Delury, senior fellow at the Asia Society, said China has yet to launch a charm offensive toward US allies like South Korea, amid pressure from Trump's tariffs and uncertainty over US military commitments.
"I think Beijing is in a phase one approach where they are sitting back a little bit and letting the Trump administration do damage on its own," he said.
"We have not seen China launching big charm offensives to try to capitalize on some of that damage," he added.
A second phase could include more outreach, but it could also see Beijing ramp up pressure of its own, he said.
South Korea has voiced concerns about the impact of China's rare earth export controls and called for the removal of Chinese sanctions on five US-linked units of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean. Beijing said the sanctions were related to security risks stemming from the company's cooperation with US investigations.
Seoul is also hoping that Xi's visit may lead to Beijing relaxing years-long restrictions on South Korean entertainment content, effectively banned after the 2017 deployment of the US-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system in South Korea.
South Korea has also expressed concerns over structures placed in disputed waters between the countries, which China claims are for fishing purposes.
