{"id":2050828,"date":"2023-09-30T13:43:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-30T17:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xi-jinping-courts-south-korea-as-north-korea-aligns-with-russia-stirring-unease-in-china\/"},"modified":"2023-09-30T13:43:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T17:43:57","slug":"xi-jinping-courts-south-korea-as-north-korea-aligns-with-russia-stirring-unease-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xi-jinping-courts-south-korea-as-north-korea-aligns-with-russia-stirring-unease-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Xi Jinping seeks closer ties with South Korea as North Korea strengthens its alliance with Russia, causing concern in China."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fxi-jinping-courts-south-korea-as-north-korea-aligns-with-russia-stirring-unease-in-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2050828&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>In a recent turn\u2063 of events, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has proposed a state visit\u2062 to South Korea, signaling a new\u2063 chapter in strategic relations between the two nations. This gesture is seen as part of a larger initiative to foster peace on the \u200bKorean Peninsula.<\/p>\n<p>Experts are of the view that Mr. Xi&#8217;s overture comes as\u200c a countermeasure to the burgeoning alliance between\u200c North Korea and Russia\u2014an alliance that could disrupt China&#8217;s longstanding influence over \u2064the region.<\/p>\n<p>South Korea remains the \u200csole power capable \u200dof \u2063militarily countering \u2063North \u200cKorea, making it a\u2063 significant variable in China&#8217;s calculations.\u200d Moreover, Mr. Xi aims to dismantle the existing trilateral alliance \u2064between \u200cthe \u2063United States, Japan,\u2064 and\u2062 South Korea, particularly in light of South Korea&#8217;s current administration led by President \u2064Yoon Suk Yeol, which\u200b has adopted an anti-communist stance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n      <!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related\u200c Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/south-korean-president-yoon-responds-to-beijings-outcry-against-the-washington-declaration-5247865?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>South Korean President Yoon Responds to Beijing\u2019s Outcry Against the Washington Declaration<\/h3>\n<p>              <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">5\/7\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/south-korean-president-yoon-responds-to-beijings-outcry-against-the-washington-declaration-5247865?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/controversial-mao-statue-removed-from-korean-ceramics-exhibition-president-yoon-reiterates-anti-communist-stance-5494574?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Controversial Mao Statue \u2062Removed From Korean\u200b Ceramics\u2062 Exhibition, President\u200d Yoon Reiterates \u2064Anti-Communist Stance<\/h3>\n<p>              <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/21\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/controversial-mao-statue-removed-from-korean-ceramics-exhibition-president-yoon-reiterates-anti-communist-stance-5494574?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <!--\/$-->\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Interestingly, during a meeting \u200bwith South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Asian\u2062 Games\u200c in Hangzhou, Mr. Xi welcomed the idea of a trilateral summit involving China, Japan, and \u200cSouth Korea. Yet, China&#8217;s Foreign \u2062Ministry remained silent on this development in their subsequent press release.<\/p>\n<h2>Concerns\u2062 in Beijing<\/h2>\n<p>While South Korea has traditionally been economically\u2062 tethered to China, the relationship \u200chas shown signs of strain since President Yoon \u2064Suk Yeol took office. Unlike his predecessor, \u200bMoon Jae-in, who maintained a \u2062China-friendly\u200b policy, Yoon has upheld South Korea&#8217;s established diplomatic norms, raising concerns in\u200d Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:700px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>(L-R) Korean President\u200c Yoon\u2062 Suk Yeol,\u200d President\u2064 Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime \u200bMinister Kishida Fumio arrive for a \u200bjoint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David, Md., on Aug.18, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla\/Getty \u200bImages)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Statistics from the \u200cKorea International Trade Association (KITA) reveal a notable shift:\u2063 South Korea&#8217;s reliance \u200con the Chinese \u2064export\u2063 market dipped from \u206226.8 percent in \u200d2018 to 19.5 percent in the first\u2062 quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n<p>This decline\u200d corresponds with South Korea&#8217;s efforts to \u200calign more \u200bclosely \u2062with U.S. policies, which have involved restricting \u2063high-end\u200b semiconductor exports to \u200dChina. As \u2062a result, exports to China\u200c plummeted by 29.8 percent in the first quarter of this year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n      <!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <!--\/$-->\n    <\/div>\n<p>South Korea has also been proactively\u2063 diversifying \u2062its export markets. \u200cIn 2021, exports to \u200ccountries like the United\u200b States, India, Australia, and Vietnam\u200b surged, boasting Market Comparative Advantage (MCA) indices\u200b between 6 and 7\u2014significantly higher than China&#8217;s\u2062 4.<\/p>\n<p>Independent analyst Zhuge Mingyang posits that South Korea&#8217;s declining economic reliance \u2063on China\u2063 could have\u200b far-reaching geopolitical consequences. By diversifying\u200d its economic portfolio, South Korea risks loosening China&#8217;s \u200cgrip, not only economically but also in\u200b terms of strategic\u2063 influence over the \u200cKorean Peninsula.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>This development may well explain why Mr. \u200dXi is making concerted efforts to mend fences with South Korea, as China\u2063 finds itself increasingly marginalized in the\u2062 evolving geopolitical landscape.<\/p>\n<h2>US-Korea-Japan Alignment \u200bIntensifies Over THAAD<\/h2>\n<p>The installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system\u2063 in South Korea by the United States has long been a\u2064 point of contention for \u2064China. Under the previous administration of President Moon Jae-in, Beijing successfully exerted pressure to limit further deployments. However, the current South Korean administration under Mr. Yoon has deviated significantly from this stance, opting for a closer alliance with the United States and Japan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In April 2017, South Korea green-lighted the U.S.\u200d THAAD anti-missile system, drawing swift and punitive \u2063actions from \u200dChina, including economic boycotts and cultural bans.\u2063 Beijing argued the\u2062 system was a threat to its national security. In\u200d November 2017, \u200dto ease tensions, Moon Jae-in&#8217;s administration committed to a\u200d &#8220;three no&#8217;s&#8221;\u200d policy: no additional THAAD deployments, no participation in the U.S. missile defense network, and no trilateral military alliance with the United States and Japan. Despite this, China continued its \u200deconomic and cultural reprisals against South Korea.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:700px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A Terminal High Altitude \u2062Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is \u200blaunched during a successful intercept \u2063test, in this undated\u2064 handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of \u2063Defense, Missile Defense Agency. (U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency\/Handout via Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Policy Reversal Under Yoon<\/h2>\n<p>Upon taking office, Mr. Yoon broke from his\u200b predecessor\u2019s \u2062accommodating approach, strengthening military ties with the United States and \u200bextending an\u200c olive branch\u2064 to Japan. Mr. Yoon\u2019s administration was\u2062 forthright in its communication with\u2064 Beijing; \u200bSouth Korean \u2064Foreign Minister Park\u2062 Jin clarified during an August 2022 visit to China that \u2062the &#8220;three no&#8217;s&#8221; policy\u2062 was not binding.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the Camp David Summit on Aug. 18, the United States, Japan, \u200band South Korea inked the \u2063&#8221;Camp David \u2063Principles,&#8221; aiming to elevate collaboration in \u2063the arenas of security,\u2064 economy, and technology. Mr. Yoon affirmed \u200bSouth Korea\u2019s commitment to\u200d upholding the international order and \u200bpromoting security, adding that the summit&#8217;s purpose aligned with containing China&#8217;s influence.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Daly, an analyst at the American think tank\u200b Wilson Center,\u2062 noted that the summit marked a significant milestone in mending Japan-South \u200bKorea relations. This tripartite accord underscores\u2062 the failure of \u200bChina&#8217;s attempts to drive a wedge \u200cbetween these\u2063 nations, \u200crendering Beijing geopolitically isolated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Xi Jinping&#8217;s prospective visit to South Korea seems designed to galvanize pro-Beijing factions within the country and to put pressure on the Yoon administration,&#8221; commented independent analyst Zhuge \u200dMingyang, adding that the objective is\u200c likely to\u200d destabilize the strengthening U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliance.<\/p>\n<h2>Kim\u200c Jong\u2062 Un&#8217;s Russian Rendezvous<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprising turn of events, North Korea, long considered a close\u2062 ally of China, is \u2063making diplomatic moves that have unsettled Beijing. Traditionally a relationship rooted in mutual dependency, \u200bthe friendship between China\u2063 and North Korea now\u200b seems\u2064 increasingly fragile.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Between Sept. 10 and 17, \u2062North Korean leader Kim Jong-un <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/desperation-and-diplomacy-north-koreas-tech-hunt-in-russia-amid-sanctions-5493824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">embarked<\/a> on\u2062 a week-long, high-profile visit to Russia. Accompanied by a\u2063 series of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Kim&#8217;s itinerary also included\u2062 tours of key Russian facilities, such as aerospace manufacturing centers \u200cand the Pacific Fleet\u2064 base. According \u200cto\u200d North Korean media, the discussions were &#8220;sincere and frank,&#8221; covering an array of issues and current \u200ccollaborative projects, culminating in &#8220;satisfactory agreements and consensus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:700px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Russia&#8217;s President Vladimir Putin (centre L) and North Korea&#8217;s leader Kim Jong \u2063Un (centre R) visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome\u2063 in \u2062Amur region, Russia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov\/POOL\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although specifics were not revealed, it&#8217;s widely speculated that Russia and North\u2063 Korea may have entered agreements related to military\u200b technology and weaponry. Mr. Putin hinted during a \u2062post-meeting press conference that Russia would assist North Korea in satellite \u2064manufacturing, \u2064signaling Mr. Kim&#8217;s ambitions to \u200cexpand into the aerospace sector.<\/p>\n<p>In a Politburo meeting held on Sept. \u206420, Mr. Kim directed \u2063his \u2062country to take proactive\u200b steps in various sectors to\u2063 elevate North Korean-Russian relations to unprecedented levels. Mr. Kim\u2063 called for increased\u200c inter-departmental \u2062cooperation between the two nations and advocated for \u2062expanding multi-sectoral\u200d collaboration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The newfound partnership has piqued the interest of the United States, Japan, and South Korea and has particularly ruffled feathers in China. North\u200c Korea\u200d has long served as \u200da\u200c strategic asset for China in countering the influence of\u2062 the United States, Japan, and South \u200dKorea. A substantial alliance \u2064between North\u200c Korea and Russia\u2064 could not\u200d only\u2064 loosen China&#8217;s grip over its erstwhile ally but could also\u2062 emerge as a strategic threat to China. Currently, South \u2062Korea remains the only nation capable of militarily countering North Korea&#8217;s growing influence.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Xi Grapples \u2062with Mounting\u200c Domestic Pressures<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As China faces escalating crises both at home\u200d and abroad, Mr. Xi finds himself in a tightening vice \u200bof challenges. Analysts suggest that his recent attempts to mend relations with South\u2062 Korea \u200cmay be a desperate bid \u2064to claw back some semblance of stability and success.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:700px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>China&#8217;s leader Xi Jinping inspects People&#8217;s Liberation Army soldiers at a barracks in Hong Kong on \u2064June 30, 2017. (Dale De La Rey\/AFP \u2062via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Although Xi Jinping wields considerable power, he faces almost universal opposition\u2064 within the Communist Party itself. Imagine the immense pressure he must be under to maintain\u2062 his grip on authority,&#8221; posits independent analyst Zhuge Mingyang.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Xi&#8217;s struggles\u2064 are compounded by recent setbacks in foreign \u200dpolicy. Rahm Emanuel, U.S.\u200c Ambassador to Japan, has openly criticized Mr. Xi as &#8220;incompetent&#8221; in economics \u2064and \u200ca &#8220;foreign-policy failure.&#8221; Both President Joe Biden and\u2064 German Foreign Minister Annalena\u200c Baerbock have \u2064also labeled Mr. Xi a &#8220;dictator.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>China&#8217;s economy teeters on the\u200c edge of collapse, \u2063with crises \u200cunfolding in the\u2062 real estate sector, escalating \u200blocal \u200cgovernment debts, and\u200b ominous signs\u200c of financial instability even\u200c in directly-administered cities like\u2062 Tianjin. Mr. Xi has responded \u200dwith a heavy-handed \u200capproach, purging\u2062 the\u200c military and\u2064 his immediate circle, leading Mr. Emanuel to quip that none of the officials around Mr. Xi are likely\u200c to &#8220;survive.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Political commentator Li Yiming believes that &#8220;if Xi could mend fences with South Korea, it\u200b would mark a \u2063significant diplomatic win, somewhat rehabilitating his increasingly\u200c tarnished reputation \u200band easing internal pressures. Nevertheless, the eventual downfall\u2064 of the Communist Party \u2063seems an unavoidable \u200cfate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As early \u2063as\u200c February \u2064of this year, financier George Soros warned\u200d that despite Mr. Xi&#8217;s current stranglehold over all instruments\u200b of suppression, his long-term survival is far from guaranteed and that \u2062his dreams of political and military dominance are destined to\u2063 remain unfulfilled, and the Communist Party will \u200bhave to brace for\u2062 either \u201cregime change or\u200c revolution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>as a significant step towards improving diplomatic ties and resolving tensions in the region. The proposed state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to South Korea is seen as a positive move towards fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula, marking a new chapter in strategic relations between the two nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":2050829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2050828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2050828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2050829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2050828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2050828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2050828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}