What is the purpose of the South Korean foreign minister's hurried visit to Beijing this time, and perhaps the domestic situation in South Korea has given the answer.
The trade war is cloudy, and South Korea's foreign reserves hit the largest decline in 19 months;
The pro-American policy has led to a backlash of public opinion, and the victory of the opposition parties in South Korea is imminent;
The word-of-mouth sales of automobile and home appliances have declined, and its position in the Chinese market is in jeopardy......
The interweaving of various crises has made South Korea unavoidable and has to turn to China for help. This is also a golden opportunity to join China.
The reason why China-South Korea relations are in crisis
The ROK foreign minister's initiative to visit China this time has broken with the "conventional" approach he himself has put forward before, which shows that he really has a last resort. This is due to the fact that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which has not long been in power, has blindly promoted a pro-American and populist stance in relations with China, which has led to a crisis in China-South Korea relations step by step.
Among them, the most typical is the unbridled remarks on the Taiwan issue. Yoon Suk-yeol not only made a big fuss about this issue, openly provoking China's bottom line, and even nakedly juxtaposed Taiwan with Ukraine, in an attempt to use this issue to whitewash the "friendly" behavior of the United States.
This kind of one-sided and extreme populist ethics naturally annoys China. From China's point of view, South Korea intentionally or unconsciously wants to help the United States in the confrontation between the United States and China, and become a promoter and a pioneer.
China's response to this is also very clear: treat South Korea coldly and do not rush to "one-on-one" exchanges with it. In fact, since Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, there has indeed been no formal bilateral exchange between the top leaders of China and South Korea.
The Chinese side believes that engagement with South Korea, an ally that insists on "working against China," is clearly not on the agenda compared to engaging with China, which has friends all over the world.
To a certain extent, this kind of indifference has also stung South Korea and its people. After all, China has always been South Korea's largest export market, and bilateral trade is extremely impressive. Abandoning the Chinese market is almost equivalent to cutting off the economic lifeline.
What's more, the people of China and South Korea have always had their own judgment and right to speak on the relationship between the two countries. For example, on the eve of this visit, well-known South Korean think tank scholars and senior journalists have called on China and South Korea to work hard to restore relations.
Being pro-American is a wrong choice after all
The reason why Yoon Suk-yeol is in such a difficult situation is, in the final analysis, that his one-sided pro-American diplomatic philosophy is fundamentally flawed. Facts have proven that the United States, which they follow, is only a user and predator after all.
This can be seen from the recent high-pressure policy of the United States towards South Korea. In the face of the United States' continuous tightening of export controls to China, South Korea should have been one of the main beneficiaries, but the United States "directly vetoed" the chip export applications of South Korean companies. Some analysts said that the United States mainly wants to make its own companies make a lot of money in Asia this time.
In many traditional advantageous industries such as automobiles and home appliances, South Korea is also facing huge competitive pressure from Chinese companies. The continuous improvement of Chinese products in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness has put the position of Korean products in the domestic market in jeopardy. Some products have even been "despised" by Chinese consumers in the midst of decline.
Not only that, but in South Korean society, there are growing voices opposing the authorities' hardline policy toward China. People of insight have even bluntly said, "Why do you want to provoke China?" This kind of public opinion has aggravated the predicament faced by the Yoon Suk-yeol cabinet.
Therefore, as far as South Korea is concerned, it is urgent to adjust the deviation of its relations with China in a timely manner. Recently, Yoon's missteps on domestic issues such as health care reform, as well as the opposition's resounding victory in local elections, have further hampered his position and advocacy.
Some analysts believe that Yoon Suk-yeol has now fallen into a passive situation of "internal and external troubles," and adjusting his China policy has also become the only way to turn things around. The ROK foreign minister's visit to China is undoubtedly a signal of such a turning point.
Work together to revitalize the friendship between South Korea and China
Strengthening bilateral friendship between China and the ROK is a mutually beneficial and win-win move for both sides. After all, the two countries have unique geographical and cultural ties, and there is a natural convergence of interests in many fields.
For example, in terms of industrial and supply chains, the enterprises of the two countries have a benign and complementary foundation. In the field of soft power such as culture and tourism, South Korea also has a unique charm and is highly integrated with China, and there is unlimited room for future cooperation.
Of course, if China-ROK relations are effectively improved and put back on the right track, the integration of foreign and security affairs between the two sides will also be conducive to regional peace and stability and play a constructive role.
The ROK foreign minister's visit to Beijing reflects the ROK's desire and sincerity in readjusting its relations with China. As a responsible major country, China should consider and respond carefully. After all, improving China-ROK relations is both reasonable and reasonable, and is also of great benefit to regional and world peace and development.
It is hoped that, in the spirit of understanding and friendship, we will put aside our disputes and differences and reinvigorate the traditional friendship between the two peoples with an open and inclusive mind. Only by working hand in hand can China and the ROK achieve common development in a win-win and mutually beneficial situation and play a more active and constructive role in the regional landscape.