At the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Doi-yeol visited China. South Korean media said that this is the first visit to Beijing by a South Korean foreign minister since 2017. During the meeting, the ROK exchanged views with the Chinese side on the direction of bilateral relations and supply chain cooperation. In addition, the South Korean foreign minister will also talk with people from South Korean companies. This is the second meeting between the foreign ministers of China and the ROK since the China-Japan-ROK foreign ministers' meeting in November last year.
Cho said that he would have frank and in-depth exchanges with the Chinese side and explain South Korea's position on selective issues. At the same time, we will also discuss areas with the Chinese side with great potential for cooperation to further consolidate the relationship between the two countries. Of course, the North Korean nuclear issue is also the focus of the ROK's attention, and the ROK side calls on China to play an important role in the issue of DPRK-Russia military cooperation, and the ROK is not happy with the development of the DPRK's military strength.
After arriving in Beijing, the South Korean foreign minister had a discussion with the head of a local Korean company before meeting with the Chinese counterpart. Zhao Duilie said that the high dependence of the two countries is the driving force of economic development, but it also has certain potential risks. He pointed out that China's economic structure is currently changing, and the complementary economic and trade relations between the two countries are gradually changing into competitive relations, which will be a huge challenge for South Korea. Therefore, the ROK side will actively engage in "economic diplomacy" and work for the business activities of Korean companies. In the view of some representatives of South Korean companies, although the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated to a certain extent due to the THAAD and other issues, the Chinese market has benefited the economies of both countries in the past 30 years, and they believe that the two sides will be mutually beneficial and win-win in the next 30 years, so they welcome the interaction between high-level officials of the two countries.
In recent years, the Yoon Suk-yeol government has almost turned to the United States, changing its previous balanced diplomacy and focusing on triangular cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea. The move has strained relations between South Korea and China, but China is using diplomatic efforts to improve relations with some of its American allies. According to South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, it should be the turn of the Chinese foreign minister to visit South Korea, and then the South Korean side will visit China. But South Korea's foreign minister, who was eager to communicate with the Chinese side, broke with convention. On the whole, South Korea follows the United States, but not only does it not get the desired treatment. Relations with China, its main trading partner, have become more strained, and its own diplomatic isolation has increased. This should be the main reason for the ROK's eagerness to visit China and stabilize relations with China.
In fact, South Korea's new foreign minister, Cho Chee-yeol, stressed the importance of stable relations with China at the beginning of his tenure. He also noted the importance of deepening cooperation in the economic and other fields, and reiterated the importance of the relationship between the two countries during a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. From an economic and trade point of view, China is one of South Korea's largest trading partners, and South Korea can be said to be backed by China, one of the largest markets in the world. This has had a huge impact on the development of South Korea's economy for decades, and on the contrary, if this large market is lost, it will be a huge harm to South Korea. From a geopolitical point of view, although there is no direct contradiction between China and South Korea, the issue of the Korean Peninsula lies between the two countries. The Korean Peninsula issue has developed to the present and has been considered one of the regions in the Asia-Pacific region where conflict is most likely to erupt. China undoubtedly has a huge influence on this issue, which is one of the main reasons why South Korea does not want to see relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate.
At present, China and South Korea have differences on certain issues, and foreign ministers need to visit abroad to increase exchanges and enhance understanding. Therefore, the visit of the ROK foreign minister to China can be said to have found a new opportunity to enhance communication between the two countries. Exchanges and interactions between the two countries will not only help stabilize bilateral relations, but will also have a positive impact on the stability of the situation on the peninsula.