Wang Visits Korea After One Year as Foreign Minister, Meets President Moon Jae-in on 26th... Engages with Various Political and Government Figures

Minister Kang Kyung-hwa's Meeting and Luncheon with Foreign Ministers... Confirming 'Bilateral Relations' through Consecutive Talks over 3 Days
Visits to Korea and Japan before New US Administration Launch... Likely to Reiterate Positions amid US-China Conflict

[Asia Economy Reporters Lim Cheol-young and Ryu Jeong-min] 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 key figures in both political and governmental circles, including at the Blue House, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, and President Moon’s special advisor on unification, diplomacy, and security Moon Jeong-in, exchanging views on bilateral issues between China and Korea 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 private 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 Seoul to discuss diplomatic issues between the two countries. This visit marks Wang’s first 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).

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 Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, whom he met in December last year. On the 27th, he will have breakfast with special advisor Moon Jeong-in, Democratic Party lawmakers Yoon Geon-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. Additionally, he is 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 escalating US-China conflicts that intensified during the Donald Trump administration before the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration. Especially since the Biden administration is likely to continue checks on China based on multilateral alliances, it is also seen as an effort to gauge the trends of key US 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 while 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, though the prevailing analysis is that only fundamental positions will be exchanged.

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