Yoon has first summit with China's Xi in Bali

Politics

Published: 15 Nov. 2022, 19:22 Updated: 15 Nov. 2022, 20:29

Yoon has first summit with China's Xi in Bali

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their first bilateral summit on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk-yeol called for more "mature" bilateral relations in his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia Tuesday.

"I hope we can work together for a mature South Korea-China relationship based on mutual respect," Yoon said in opening remarks at the beginning of the summit, noting that the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties this year.

It was the first summit between the leaders of South Korea and China in nearly three years.

Yoon said that he looked forward to working together for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting economic and people-to-people exchanges, as well as cooperation on global issues such as climate change and energy security.

"Our government's diplomatic goal is to lead and contribute to freedom, peace and prosperity in East Asia and the international community," said Yoon. "China's role in the international community is important in the pursuit of freedom, peace and prosperity."

He said, "South Korea must closely communicate and cooperate with China," stressing that is "in the common interest of both countries."

Yoon also thanked Xi for expressing condolences after the recent Itaewon tragedy.

The talks began at 5:11 p.m. local time and lasted around 25 minutes, according to the presidential office.

Xi in his opening remarks described the two countries as "close neighbors" and "inseparable partners" who share "an important responsibility and broad interests in maintaining regional peace and promoting global prosperity."
He called on the two countries to develop relations and strengthen communication and cooperation, including through the G20 summit, for "true multilateralism" and global stability.

The two leaders discussed Korean Peninsula issues and other bilateral and regional issues, according to the presidential office in a statement after the summit.

Noting that North Korea has been escalating its nuclear and missile threats with unprecedented frequency recently, Yoon expressed hope that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a neighboring country, will "play a more active and constructive role."

Xi said that both Seoul and Beijing have "common interests" to safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula, adding that he hoped that South Korea would actively improve inter-Korean relations, according to the presidential office.

Xi also said that if North Korea is "responsive" he will "actively support" Yoon's "audacious initiative" to ensure its implementation. The audacious initiative is the Yoon administration's plan to help North Korea's economy — provided Pyongyang takes steps toward denuclearization.

Yoon emphasized Korea's diplomatic goal of pursuing freedom, peace and prosperity "based on universal values and norms," and said that "China's role in East Asia and the international community is very important," said his office.

Yoon called for high-level dialogue to be held on a regular basis. The two leaders also agreed to conclude the second phase of the bilateral FTA negotiations as soon as possible.

Xi further proposed establishing a so-called Track 1.5 dialogue channel to strengthen communication and build political trust, said the office.

Xi said he will gladly accept Yoon's invitation to visit Seoul once the Covid-19 situation is stabilized to some extend and expressed hope that Yoon will visit China.

Yoon was also expected to explain how his administration's newly disclosed India-Pacific strategy is not meant to exclude China.

The last summit between the South Korean and Chinese leaders was on Dec. 23, 2019, when President Moon Jae-in held bilateral talks with Xi in Beijing ahead of a Korea-Japan-China summit in Chengdu on Dec. 24.

In late March as president-elect, Yoon held his first phone call with Xi.

On Aug. 24, Yoon and Xi exchanged letters to the mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties, and the Korean president expressed hopes to "seek new directions for cooperation" and to "quantitatively develop ties."

Last month, Yoon sent Xi a letter congratulating him for his election to a third consecutive term as China's leader. Xi also sent a condolence letter to Yoon a day after the deadly Itaewon crowd crush on Oct. 29.

Ahead of their summit, Xi told Yoon on the sidelines of the G20 summit Tuesday morning, "I look forward to the Korea-China summit in the afternoon."

Presidential officials initially played down the possibility of a Yoon-Xi summit ahead of the trip, and the meeting was only officially confirmed Tuesday morning.

This came after U.S. President Joe Biden and Xi held their first face-to-face summit in Bali on Monday. The three-hour meeting appears to have cooled down worries of a new Cold War as the two leaders had frank discussions over tough issues like Taiwan and North Korea.

Xi told Biden that Taiwan was the "first red line" that must not be crossed in U.S.-China relations, according to Chinese state media Monday.

"I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War," Biden said in a press conference Monday after the summit. "And I do not think there's any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan."

Biden said he told Xi that Beijing has "an obligation" to dissuade Pyongyang from nuclear tests and that Washington would take "defensive" action "to send a clear message to North Korea."

Responding to a question about whether Beijing can prevent a seventh nuclear test by Pyongyang, Biden said, "It's difficult to say that I am certain that China can control North Korea."

On the sidelines of Asean meetings in Cambodia Sunday, Yoon held his second bilateral summit with the U.S. president, followed by trilateral talks with Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The three leaders focused on a coordinated response to Pyongyang, including agreeing to share real-time information on North Korean missiles.

In a joint statement, the leaders said they "strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in waters of the Indo-Pacific" and stressed the "importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Earlier Tuesday, Yoon took part in the first day of the G20 summit, where the leaders of the world's major economies, known as the Group of 20 nations, gathered amid global worries about inflation, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the North Korea nuclear issue and Sino-U.S. competition.

The theme of this year's G20 summit, hosted by Indonesia, is "Recover Together, Recover Stronger," and the leaders focused on economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The three sessions were on: food and energy security; global health; and digital transformation.

In the first session, Yoon emphasized the importance of global solidarity and cooperation to respond to food and energy threats, said the presidential office, "as a responsible member of the international community."

Yoon called on countries to refrain from "excessive protectionism" in the food and energy sector to ensure the stability of global food and energy prices.

He stressed the need to establish an eco-friendly, sustainable food and energy system and to "develop and share innovative green technologies at the G20 level."

He pledged that Korea will "actively help developing countries' low-carbon transitions by expanding green ODA [official development assistance]" and "share Korea's accumulated experiences and technologies in sustainable agriculture and energy," according to his office.

In the session on global health, Yoon introduced Korea's plan to expand ODA for pandemic cooperation, pledging an additional $300 million to the current $200 million.

Yoon talked briefly with other leaders including new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Senegalese President Macky Sall, said deputy presidential spokesman Lee Jae-myoung.

He exchanged greetings with the leaders of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Turkey and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Yoon also joined leaders of the so-called Mikta countries: Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia. They released a statement that they will address global economic and security challenges based on "shared values and similarities, which involve, first and foremost, democracy and the respect for international law, multilateralism and international cooperation."

On Monday, Yoon engaged in economic diplomacy, taking part in the B20 summit and a Korea-Indonesia business roundtable with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Yoon was set to depart from Bali late Tuesday and return to Seoul early Wednesday, wrapping up a six-day trip to Southeast Asia.