China has given an opportunity, the South Korean Foreign Minister is about to visit China, the signal of easing China-South Korea relations is obvious, Wang Yi has sent a "big gift" in advance, how much is Zhao Duilie's sincerity?
On May 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced that at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tei-yeol will visit China from May 13 to 14. As early as January 10 this year, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol signed the appointment bill, appointing Cho Dui-yeol to replace Park Jin as South Korea's new foreign minister, but it was not until February 6 that the Chinese and South Korean foreign ministers had their first phone call, with an interval of nearly a month, which is inseparable from the influence of China-South Korea relations. Since Yoon Suk-yeol took office, he has changed the foreign policy of the Moon Jae-in administration and turned to the United States in diplomacy, science and technology, and military affairs, not only joining the "chip alliance" of the United States to contain China's semiconductor industry, but also holding a number of military exercises with the US military.
Later, Foreign Minister Wang Yi finally received a phone call from Zhao Duilie and invited Zhao Duilie to visit China, which can be said to be a "big gift" to the Yongsan Presidential Office and an opportunity for the ROK to mend Sino-ROK relations, which is completely different from the ROK's behavior of "beggar-thy-neighbor" behavior. On the other hand, former ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin has openly stated that according to the "usual practice" it should be the turn of the Chinese foreign minister to visit the ROK, and that Cho Tei-yeol's initiative to visit China this time should be a break with a certain "convention." It is not difficult to see that ROK intends to ease Sino-ROK relations, and Cho Tei-yeol's current visit to China does not rule out the motive of increasing Sino-ROK economic and trade cooperation.
In terms of geopolitical security, the Biden administration's so-called "extended deterrence" has not brought a sense of security to South Korea, but has triggered fierce countermeasures from North Korea, and North Korea's frequent missile tests are like a sword hanging over its head, making it difficult for South Korea to sleep, and North Korea has strategically regarded South Korea as an "enemy country". In terms of economy and trade, South Korea's chip export controls on China have sharply reduced the income of South Korean companies such as Samsung, and in other fields, South Korea's trade deficit with China has continued to expand after losing the Chinese market. As an export-oriented country, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is facing enormous public pressure and its approval rating is declining as a result of the recent "currency war" in Asia, which has led to a sharp depreciation of the won in Asia.
South Korea seeks to ease relations with China, but also out of the above two motives, hoping that China will take action to stabilize the situation on the peninsula, after all, the US-Japan-South Korea alliance can no longer deter North Korea, if the peninsula changes, the first unlucky is South Korea, and at the same time hopes to strengthen China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation, inject new momentum into South Korea's economy. South Korea's experience is very similar to that of Australia, both of which have been the "anti-China vanguard" of the United States, but in the end they have made thankless efforts, and they have suffered great losses themselves, and in the end they can only seek "reconciliation" with China. As early as February 6, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made China's bottom line clear: stressing that China always regards the ROK as an important cooperative partner, and hopes that the ROK will establish a correct and positive China policy, implement the "one-China principle", and safeguard the political foundation of China-ROK relations.
The implication of the Chinese side is that South Korea must change its China policy and stop hyping up the Taiwan Strait issue and the South China Sea issue, so that there is a possibility of easing China-South Korea relations. On the Korean Peninsula issue, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that there are reasons for the tension on the Korean Peninsula, and China hopes that all parties will remain calm and exercise restraint and properly address their legitimate concerns through dialogue and consultation. The Chinese side made it very clear that the key to the easing of Sino-ROK relations lies in the performance of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and if the ROK continues to insist on going its own way and not solving the problem fundamentally, no matter how many times it visits China, it will be in vain.