South Korean leader Lee takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s back-to-back visits to China and Japan suggest a “pragmatic approach” to reset ties with both countries as tensions soar between Beijing and Tokyo, analysts said. Lee met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday during a two-day trip to Japan. Speaking to reporters after their summit in Nara – Takaichi’s hometown – Lee said there was “unprecedented turmoil” in the global political landscape and trade order. He stressed the need for South Korea and Japan to expand cooperation at this “pivotal turning point in civilisation”. Lee said the two leaders shared a “common understanding” of the importance of cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States for regional peace and stability. He said there was a need for South Korea and Japan to also work with China, and for the three nations “to identify as much common ground as possible to communicate and cooperate together”. But Takaichi did not mention China in her remarks, instead stressing the need for trilateral cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the US. Lee’s summit with Takaichi came only a week after he made a state visit to China for talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing last Monday. Tensions have been running high between Beijing and Tokyo over the suggestion by Takaichi in November that Japan could take military action if the People’s Liberation Army attacked Taiwan. Her remarks prompted strong protests from Beijing, as well as economic and diplomatic retaliation. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US and its treaty allies South Korea and Japan, do not recognise self-governed Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any forcible change to the status quo and is legally bound to supply Taipei with weapons for defence. Seoul has taken a neutral stance as the rift between China and Japan has deepened, wary that it could affect South Korea’s own security and economic interests. Ahead of his trip to Beijing, Lee told state broadcaster CCTV that Seoul “respects” the one-China policy and stressed the importance of “maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia”. During their talks in the Chinese capital last week, Lee said 2026 was the year for the “full restoration of South Korea-China relations”, while Xi said both countries should “stand firmly on the right side of history and make correct strategic choices”. Those remarks follow nearly a decade of strained ties between the two nations after Beijing imposed unofficial sanctions on Seoul when it allowed Washington to deploy a THAAD – Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence – missile defence system in South Korea in 2016. Choi Eun-mi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, noted the “subtle contrast” in Lee and Takaichi’s remarks, with Lee emphasising Northeast Asian cooperation and Takaichi focused on ties between Tokyo, Seoul and Washington. “[Lee’s] statement, made amid escalating tensions between China and Japan, is seen as a pragmatic statement of intent for regional peace and stability,” Choi said. Troy Stangarone, a non-resident fellow at the US-based Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology, said Lee was looking to reset relations with both countries. He said the “shift” with Japan began under the previous administration and Lee wanted to build on those improved ties while resetting relations with China. “The proximity of the two summits is designed to emphasise the importance the Lee administration places on relations with both countries,” he said. And for Beijing, the main interest was preventing a “convergence” of views on Taiwan’s future between Seoul and Tokyo, according to Stangarone. “Lee and Takaichi were careful not to place cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo in the context of the dispute between China and Japan,” he added. As Seoul’s relations with its two neighbours improve, the feud between Beijing and Tokyo is deepening. China last week imposed a ban on the export of dual-use goods – with both civilian and military applications – to Japan. The list includes rare earth metals and minerals that are used in everything from defence to electric vehicles, energy and electronics. China currently dominates the global supply of rare earths and other critical minerals, accounting for more than 90 per cent of it. In Nara, Takaichi said the two leaders had pledged to promote “strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation” in economic security, including supply chains. Stangarone said China’s use of critical minerals as a tool of “coercive” foreign policy was driving other nations like Japan to find alternative sources. “These moves are focused on the long term rather than immediately addressing any negative impacts from China’s new restrictions. The United States, South Korea and Japan are already engaged in trilateral cooperation to diversify their supply of critical minerals,” he said. “Deeper bilateral cooperation on this issue would benefit both Seoul and Tokyo, but it will take years to develop meaningful alternatives. Japan, for example, has been working to diversify its supply of critical minerals from China since 2010. Despite progress over time, Tokyo has seen its dependence on China deepen in recent years.” Stangarone said Lee’s push for cooperation among South Korea, Japan and China was an extension of his “pragmatic approach” to foreign policy. He said their “interconnected” supply chains meant Chinese export restrictions on Japan would also indirectly affect the South Korean economy. “China’s recent ban on exporting dual-use items to Japan impacts South Korea’s semiconductor, battery, display and other industries,” he said. He said tensions between China and Japan also had a negative impact on efforts to deal with North Korea’s nuclear programme. “Lee is trying to encourage stability and cooperation among the region’s three main players’ relations to address regional security challenges and maintain economic growth,” Stangarone said. Choi said while Takaichi had previously called for supply chains to be strengthened in talks between Tokyo and Seoul they were “particularly significant” now, given the mounting pressure from China’s restrictions on dual-use goods. “This is expected to lead to stronger cooperation between South Korea and Japan in substantive areas such as AI, semiconductors and advanced industries,” Choi said. “This can be seen as a shift towards cooperation in economic security and future industries.”

South Korean leader Lee takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The president made back-to-back trips to the neighbouring countries as tensions are running high between Beijing and Tokyo

The president made back-to-back trips to the neighbouring countries as tensions are running high between Beijing and Tokyo