Xi Jinping, China President, Visits South Korea, Snubs Pyongyang

Chinese president Xi Jinping landed Thursday in Seoul for a state visit with Park Geun-Hye, marking his first trip ever to the Korean peninsula. Xi Jinping’s South Korea visit raised questions regarding the current state of his country’s relationship with North Korea, and it’s baby-faced strongman, Kim Jong Un.

A week before Xi landed in Seoul, North Korea fired seven short-ranged projectiles, two of which were shot into the east coast. This was a bitter response to Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang snub, according to leading analysts. Xi’s arrival in South Korea marked the end of a long tradition for Chinese leaders, who would usually visit Pyongyang first before going down south the Korean Demilitarized Zone and into Seoul.

According to New York Times, Xi’s visit to South Korea might be a way for China to stir the current political opinions in the region. South Korea, a vital U.S. ally, is reportedly seeing a surge in pro-China sentiments among its citizens.

Additionally, although both countries have strikingly different alliances, China and South Korea share a common disdain for Japan. Xi Jinping’s presence in South Korea coincides with Japan’s recent announcement to revise their pacifist constitution to allow a more militarily assertive role in East Asia. The planned revisions in the constitution is widely unpopular locally and with neighboring countries.

Chung Yungwoo, South Korea’s former national security adviser, says that Xi’s presence in his country is primarily a tactic to stir South Korea-Japan relations for the worse:

“Xi can’t afford to miss this opportunity to make bad relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea as bitter as possible,”

“China is trying to draw the Republic of Korea as far away as possible from Japan and the United States.”

However, other South Korea officials reassured that the lady president, Park Geun-Hye, will not give in to Xi Jinping’s “ferocious courting”. According to them, trying to make a distance between South Korea and the U.S is unlikely, due to the fact that the latter gives much-needed military benefits to the Asian country. There are currently 30,000 American soldiers stationed across South Korea.

According to CBS, China’s relationship with North Korea is unlikely to strain due to a single snub as long as South Korea remains a strong ally to Washington. Chinese officials advise the international press not to “over-read” Xi Jinping’s decision to visit South Korea before North Korea.

Xi Jinping‘s meeting with Park Geun-Hye will be his fifth. International observers have noted the the seemingly growing friendship between the two. Ms. Park was heartily welcomed in Beijing last year by the Chinese government while earlier this year, Xi Jinping sent intimate birthday wishes to the South Korea president.

[Image from nznationalparty via Flickr]