Wang, Chinese Foreign Minister, to Visit President Moon on the 26th (Comprehensive)

Schedule for Visiting Korea from 25th to 27th, Meeting Party, Government, and Cheong Officials to Exchange Views on Bilateral Issues... Attention on Discussing Chinese President Xi Jinping's Visit to Korea

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Lim Cheol-young] Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, will pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in on the 26th. Wang Yi is visiting Korea for the first time in about a year and will meet with various political and governmental figures, including the Blue House, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, and President Moon’s Special Advisor on Unification, Foreign Affairs, and Security, Moon Jung-in, to exchange views on bilateral issues between Korea and China as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated on the 25th, "President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to receive State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is officially visiting Korea from the 25th to the 27th, at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 26th," adding, "President Moon previously met with State Councilor Wang during his official visit in December last year (December 4-5)."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi will arrive at Incheon International Airport by a chartered plane in the evening after completing his visit to Japan. On the morning of the 26th, Wang will hold a Korea-China Foreign Ministers’ meeting with Minister Kang Kyung-wha and have lunch at a location in downtown Seoul to discuss diplomatic issues between the two countries. This visit marks Wang’s first trip to Korea in about a year since December last year. The bilateral face-to-face meeting is the first since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is talking with Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China, on the afternoon of the 4th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on Sejong-daero, Seoul, before their meeting. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Through this Foreign Ministers’ meeting, we plan to have in-depth exchanges of views on mutual interests such as cooperation in response to COVID-19, high-level exchanges between the two countries, Korea-China bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and regional and international issues."

The schedule for meetings with key political and governmental figures during this visit is denser compared to the Japan visit. Following the Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the 26th, Wang is scheduled to have dinner with former leader Lee Hae-chan, whom he met in December last year.

On the 27th, Wang will have breakfast meetings with Special Advisor Moon Jung-in, Democratic Party lawmakers Yoon Gun-young and Lee Jae-jung from the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, and Hong Ik-pyo, head of the Democratic Research Institute. He is also reported to meet with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok and Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Chairman Song Young-gil.

This visit by Wang Yi is interpreted as a move to reiterate China’s position on the intensified U.S.-China conflicts that occurred during the Donald Trump administration before the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration. In particular, since the Biden administration is likely to continue checks on China based on multilateral alliances, it is also viewed as an effort to gauge the trends of key U.S. allies such as Korea and Japan in advance.

Professor Hwang Jae-ho of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies explained, "If Wang Yi’s visit to Japan was aimed at exploring the newly inaugurated Suga Yoshihide Cabinet, the core of the subsequent visit to Korea is 'communication with party leadership,'" adding, "It is significant for emphasizing cooperation and managing issues surrounding China, including economic and security matters."

Meanwhile, additional discussions on the timing of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Korea, which was aimed to be held within this year, are also attracting attention, although it is analyzed that only fundamental positions will be exchanged.