Yoon to hold talks with China's Xi on sidelines of APEC summit

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Yoon to hold talks with China's Xi on sidelines of APEC summit

Published: 15 Nov. 2024, 18:08 Updated: 15 Nov. 2024, 18:17

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a Korea-China summit on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 15, 2022. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol, attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, will hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning, the presidential office said, marking the first Korea-China summit since the leaders met in Indonesia in November 2022.

The summit takes place amid confirmations that North Korean troops are in combat operations along with Russia against Ukraine. China, a traditional ally of North Korea, has recently signaled a potential thaw in relations with South Korea after introducing visa-free entry for South Koreans and appointing a new ambassador to Seoul.

"The leaders of Korea and China will discuss expanding economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, as well as conduct a comprehensive dialogue on regional security including the Korean Peninsula," Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters in Lima. Analysts suggest that China’s willingness to address North Korea’s military involvement in Ukraine with South Korea could exert diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

In addition to the newly confirmed bilateral South Korea-China talks, Yoon’s itinerary includes a trilateral summit on Friday afternoon with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, as well as a South Korea-Japan summit confirmed for Saturday. Kim said that a South Korea-U.S. summit is also under consideration.

The trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan is set to build on the cooperation established at the Camp David summit in August, where the three countries committed to expanding regional security collaboration. According to Kim, the leaders will review recent progress and outline actionable steps for continued cooperation.

A senior official from the presidential office, speaking anonymously, suggested that the discussions could lead to the establishment of a formal “trilateral office” to institutionalize cooperation between the three countries.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in remarks made en route to the APEC summit, underscored the importance of a "coordinated response" to North Korea’s troop dispatch in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine. He added that the summit will be a chance for the three leaders to make sure that their countries are "on the same page" and moving out "in a coordinated way."

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at Air Force Base No. 2 in Lima, Peru, on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and is greeted by welcoming officials. [KIM HYEON-DONG]

Yoon arrived in Lima on Thursday night, with his official APEC schedule beginning on Friday.

As the incoming chair for APEC 2025, he is slated to deliver a speech during the first session, calling on North Korea and Russia to cease military cooperation, which he sees as a “significant threat to a rules-based global order and a hindrance to APEC’s forward-looking cooperation,” according to Kim. At Saturday’s second session, the retreat, Yoon will discuss Korea advancing its energy transition, particularly in zero-carbon energy, hydrogen and nuclear power as part of global climate initiatives. He will also receive a traditional Peruvian ceremonial baton as the incoming APEC chair and invite world leaders to the 2025 APEC summit in Gyeongju.

While there were initial hopes for a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during the South America tour, this now seems unlikely.

“The President-elect’s team has been informing embassies that meetings with foreign leaders will likely be postponed until after the Jan. 20 inauguration,” said a Korean senior presidential official. As it stands, President Yoon is expected to conclude his five-night, eight-day schedule and return as planned.

Ahead of the trilateral summit, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Iwaya on Thursday, with talks focusing on trilateral cooperation and North Korea’s military support for Russia.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]