Monday, April 05, 2021

UPDATED

SOUTH KOREA TAKES THE LEAD

China and Seoul vow to cooperate on Korean Peninsula denuclearization

Foreign ministers agree to first high-level security talks in 6 years

OVER THE PENNISULA'S DESTINY

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen on April 3.   © AP

April 4, 2021 01:30 JSTBEIJING/SEOUL -- China and South Korea will strengthen cooperation to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, the two countries' foreign ministers agreed on Saturday, with plans for senior-level security talks in the first half of the year.

The two countries share the goal of the denuclearization of the peninsula, both governments said in releases, and the two sides aim for the first talks between their foreign affairs and defense vice ministers. The agreement came during newly appointed South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong's visit to Xiamen, China, to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"China will work with South Korea to promote a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue," Wang said.

Talks between high-ranking foreign affairs and defense officials of the two nations would be the first since January 2015, which were at the director level. The upcoming meeting would be at the vice ministerial level, rather than "two-plus-two" ministerial talks.

The plan to hold the security talks comes as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has been bolstering diplomatic ties in the region in a bid to pressure China.

Beijing has sought to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington, while South Korea balances efforts to improve ties with an increasingly influential China against the resulting national security concerns.

Holding security talks at the vice minister level may have represented a compromise between these interests with South Korea caught between its longtime ally Washington and its largest trading partner, China. Already tense relations between the U.S. and China appeared to increase last month after a rare exchange of blunt words in public during a meeting in the U.S. state of Alaska.

South Korea says once the coronavirus pandemic stabilizes, it will prepare to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to Seoul. Talks between the countries' foreign vice ministers are also planned around the first half of this year.

The trip by Chung marked the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to China since November 2017. The foreign ministers of the two countries most recently met in South Korea last November.

After the Alaska meeting last month, Xi reached out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, telling him Beijing would work to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the first time Chung has visited a foreign country since he took the position, emphasizing the priority of China for the Moon Jae-in administration. "South Korea is approaching China as China's relationship with Japan turns rocky. It's an opportunity to attract [South Korea]," a Chinese state media official said.

Chung participated in a two-plus-two meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who visited Japan and South Korea last month. Chung also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in South Korea.

China, ROK foreign ministers meet in Xiamen
Updated 03-Apr-2021
By Su Yuting CGTN




A visit to China by the Republic of Korea's (ROK) top diplomat Chung Eui-yong has come just weeks after a tour of Asia by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Bliken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Seoul has sought to find balance in its alliance with Washington and its economic reliance on China, with the foreign minister saying after Blinken's visit that the ROK valued its relations with both powers and did not want to pick a side.

Joint cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic will be one of the most important issue to be discussed at the China-ROK meeting. In a phone conversation with ROK President Moon Jae-in in January this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a cooperation mechanism of "fast lanes" to facilitate pandemic prevention and control and economic development of the two countries.

Safeguarding multilateralism and free trade will also be a topic high on the agenda, as the two sides are accelerating the completion of the second-phase of negotiations on the free trade agreement to put into effect the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at an early date and speed up the construction of the China-Japan-ROK free trade area. Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is another issue on the table.

Previously as a top security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, Chung played a key role in Moon's engagement policy with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that led to the historic summit between former U.S. President Donald Trump and the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in 2018. Chung also served as Moon's special envoy in liaising with China and the DPRK. Both sides are willing to play constructive roles in promoting the resumption of peace talks on the Korean Peninsula.

And the timing of the visit is of great significance as China and the ROK will hold a "Cultural Exchange Year" in 2021 and 2022, and next year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Saturday's meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in the southeast China city of Xiamen is expected to serve as an opportunity to explore ways to develop bilateral ties and exchange in-depth views on regional and international issues.

South Korea to invite Chinese President Xi when COVID-19 stabilises: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister said on Saturday the government will prepare for a visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping, local news outlet Yonhap reported.

© Reuters/CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS Closing session
 of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 

(CPPCC) in Beijing

"As soon as the novel coronavirus stabilises, we have decided to prepare for President Xi's visit to (South) Korea as early as possible," Chung Eui-yong told reporters after a meeting with State Councillor Wang Yi, the Chinese government's top diplomat, Yonhap reported.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea Reaffirm Concerted Approach to North

   Washington, April 2 (Jiji Press)--Senior security officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea reaffirmed on Friday the three nations' commitment to concerted efforts to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
   White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Shigeru Kitamura and South Korea's National Security Office Director Suh Hoon "shared their concerns about North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reaffirmed their commitment to address and resolve these issues through concerted trilateral cooperation toward denuclearization," according to a joint statement released after their meeting held at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
   It was the first meeting of high-ranking officials of the three countries since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January.
   The three officials consulted on the United States' review of its North Korea policy, which is in the final stages. Details of the review and the timing of its announcement have yet to be disclosed.
   They also discussed "issues of common concern" including security in the Indo-Pacific region, having in mind China's emergence as a global power.


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