Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul’s visit to China, preceding an envisaged trilateral summit involving South Korea, Japan and China, is anticipated to represent a crucial opportunity for diplomatic progress between Seoul and Beijing following recent strains in bilateral relations, experts said, Tuesday.According to the South Korean Embassy in China, it is coordinating the date of Cho’s upcoming visit to Beijing, which would mark the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to the country in more than six years.Experts said the meeting between Cho and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would hopefully provide mutual assurance that both sides want to stabilize ties. The current relationship between China and South Korea is at its lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol is counting on successfully hosting the three-way summit because he wants to tout his diplomatic achievements, especially as he is facing huge political setbacks after the ruling party’s defeat in the general elections last month. South Korea is trying to give assurance to China following the latter’s reluctance to confirm its participation in the leadership summit,” said Kim Heung-kyu, director of the U.S.-China Policy Institute at Ajou University.However, he refrained from expressing optimism about the meeting between Cho and Wang.“It remains to be seen how the Yoon administration will navigate Korea’s relationship with China,” Kim said.Kang Jun-young, a Chinese studies professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said Cho’s visit is aimed at fixing a date and agenda for the upcoming trilateral summit, which is expected to focus primarily on fostering economic and people-to-people 스포츠토토존 exchanges.