Beijing was shrouded in a severe sandstorm when President Lee Myung-bak landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday. And it seems the skies reflected the views Chinese political leaders take of Lee.
Since his inauguration, Lee has focused on strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance, and he visited Japan ahead of China, on his way back from the U.S. None of that was apt to endear him to the Chinese leadership.
Against this background, the Chinese Foreign Ministry committed the unprecedented breach of diplomatic etiquette of accrediting the Korean ambassador on the very day the Korean president arrived in Beijing for a state visit.
The new Korean Ambassador to China Shin Jung-seung had been waiting since May 6 for a chance to present his credentials to the Chinese president. But the Chinese Foreign Ministry saw him only at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The ministry had been using various excuses, citing Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Japan or the Sichuan earthquake.
On the occasion of Lee's China visit, the official People’s Daily posted a commentary titled "Lee Myung-bak's Balanced Diplomacy" on the front page of its website on Tuesday. "We don't believe that President Lee, who styles himself a 'CEO' president, would be strengthening his country's relations with the U.S. and Japan from a Cold-War-style viewpoint,” it said. “We don't believe that President Lee, who wishes to be a good business-friendly president, would collaborate with those people filled with Cold-War-style ways of thinking to alienate himself from China or hold China in check."
