Deputy Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue... First In-Person Meeting in 7 Years
North Korea's Complex Provocations... Emphasis on China's Role Expected
South Korean and Chinese diplomatic authorities continue discussions on mutual interests, including the Korean Peninsula issue, through strategic dialogues. This is evaluated as a continued effort to seek common interests bilaterally following the trilateral summit among South Korea, China, and Japan in May this year and the diplomatic security dialogue last month. Given North Korea's recent complex provocations, including the release of sewage balloons, the South Korean government is expected to place greater emphasis on China's role regarding North Korea.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 24th, Kim Hong-kyun, First Vice Foreign Minister, and Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Foreign Minister of China, will meet this afternoon at the Seoul Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. Among the four Executive Vice Foreign Ministers of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ma Zhaoxu is the most senior and is responsible for the United States and Russia. This 10th South Korea-China Vice Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue follows the 9th dialogue held virtually in December 2021, marking the first face-to-face meeting in 7 years and 1 month since June 2017.
At the 'Korea-China Diplomatic Security Dialogue' held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June this year, the two chief representatives, Kim Hong-gyun, 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, are taking a commemorative photo. From left: Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the International Military Cooperation Office of the Central Military Commission of China; Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China; Kim Hong-gyun, 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Lee Seung-beom, Director of International Policy at the Ministry of National Defense. [Image source=Yonhap News]
South Korean and Chinese diplomatic authorities plan to exchange broad opinions on mutual interests, ranging from bilateral relations to the Korean Peninsula issue and regional and international situations.
In particular, the South Korean side is expected to repeatedly emphasize China's constructive role regarding North Korea's complex provocations, including the release of sewage balloons, and its increasing closeness with Russia. The government has consistently warned that the military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which has been taking place since Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea, violates the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions resolutions against North Korea. Since China is also uncomfortable with this close cooperation, attention is focused on whether this will be an opportunity to expand consensus with South Korea at a strategic level.
South Korea-China relations gained momentum for improvement starting with the trilateral summit among South Korea, China, and Japan in May. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul recently reiterated his intention to continue strategic diplomacy with China, which has influence over North Korea, amid the accelerating North Korea-Russia closeness and the cooling North Korea-China atmosphere. On the 18th of last month, the two sides held the South Korea-China Foreign and Defense (2+2) Diplomatic Security Dialogue, upgraded to the vice ministerial level for the first time in nine years, with discussions lasting as long as six hours including a dinner. The vice foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue scheduled for today also includes a dinner.
However, South Korea's recent participation in NATO as one of the four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4) is a sensitive issue for China. China has expressed wariness toward the IP4 countries, including South Korea, strengthening cooperation with NATO.
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