South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on May 26 to restore bilateral ties strained by the covid-19 pandemic and U.S.-China tensions. This meeting took place a day before the ninth trilateral summit between South Korea, China, and Japan, which resumed after a four-year hiatus. A bilateral meeting between Yoon and Li comes eight months after the ASEAN+3 summit in Indonesia last September.
The presidential office said that during their meeting, the two leaders decided to establish a “Korea-China 2+2 Diplomatic and Security Dialogue,” a proposal initially made by China. While South Korea and China have been closely tied economically, their security relations have been more characterized by tension than cooperation. “International security issues have often hindered bilateral economic exchanges, such as the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system and the resulting ban on South Korean culture,” said a government official.
Under these circumstances, China’s proposal for a 2+2 diplomatic and security dialogue can be interpreted as a sign that it is willing to engage in full-scale dialogue on security issues. The two countries have also agreed to resume other channels of diplomatic and security communication, such as the Deputy Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue.
“As U.S. pressure on China intensifies and the U.S., South Korea, and Japan become closer, China seems to have decided to actively engage in diplomacy with South Korea,” said Nam Sungwook, a professor at Korea University.
The decision by Yoon and Li to resume discussions on the second phase of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is also seen as a positive sign for bilateral relations. Since the FTA came into effect in December 2015, the two countries have been making progress in opening up their markets mainly for goods. The second phase of discussions is expected to expand the FTA to include services such as culture, tourism, and law. China plans to build the Changchun International Cooperation Demonstration Zone with South Korea. China hopes to strengthen bilateral cooperation in manufacturing, energy, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and medicine through this initiative.
Yoon welcomed the renewed bilateral ministerial dialogues and the revitalization of exchanges between local governments. “Let us strengthen exchanges and cooperation with mutual respect and pursue common interests,” he said during the meeting. He added, “The two countries should go beyond bilateral relations and work closely together to promote peace and prosperity in the international community.”
“China values and is committed to continuously developing its relationship with South Korea,” said Li.
The two leaders also decided to reactivate the China-ROK Investment Cooperation Commission, which has been dormant since 2011. This ministerial-level council between South Korea’s Ministry of Trade and China’s Ministry of Commerce aims to boost bilateral investment cooperation. The two countries also agreed to launch the Korea-China Export Control Dialogue to strengthen supply chain cooperation.
Since taking office, Yoon has focused his diplomatic efforts on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance and restoring ties with Japan and South Korea. However, he has faced considerable criticism for struggling with diplomacy towards China. When Chinese President Xi Jinping met South Korean Prime Minister Duck-soo in Hangzhou during the Asian Games last September, Xi said he would “seriously consider a visit to South Korea.” Xi’s last visit to South Korea was in July 2014, during the Park Geun-hye administration.
