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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their summit in Beijing on Dec. 23. (Blue House photo pool)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Dec. 23. Moon and Xi’s meeting was closely watched, given rapidly rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid the protracted rupture in the North Korea-US denuclearization talks. The meeting ended up lasting much longer than originally planned, suggesting just how seriously the two leaders view the situation on the Korean Peninsula. They emphasized the principle of resolving problems through dialogue and negotiations while calling on North Korea and the US to make a concerted effort to preserve the momentum for dialogue. But since North Korea is stubbornly holding to its end-of-the-year deadline, it would be rash to presume that the outcome of this summit will lead to the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue.

“The recent circumstances, including the suspension of dialogue between North Korea and the US and the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, are not beneficial for North Korea, not to mention South Korea or China,” Moon said during the summit. As Moon said, the worsening confrontation between North Korea and the US will inevitably cause a major headache for China, since it could damage stability and provoke an arms race in Northeast Asia. Last week, China and Russia submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, seeking to relax sanctions on North Korea.

The draft resolution can be seen as an attempt to calm the “end-of-the-year crisis” by advocating North Korea’s call for the relaxation of sanctions. Xi aligned himself with Moon’s position during the summit, remarking that “Many people are concerned about the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula.” Considering that China has gained considerable influence over North Korea, we hope that this summit will motivate it to play an even more proactive role in resolving the standoff between North Korea and the US.

Another accomplishment of the summit was the two leaders’ discussion of a solution to the dispute triggered by China’s economic retribution for the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. “There may be temporary disappointments in our bilateral relations, but we will never become estranged,” Moon said, expressing his hope for a complete restoration of a relationship that was damaged by the THAAD spat. Xi’s gracious response raises hopes for the restoration of the bilateral relationship: “We are both friends and partners who have cooperated closely. I will do my part alongside President Moon to elevate our bilateral relationship to a new height.”

When Moon extended an official invitation during the summit for Xi to visit South Korea at an early date, Xi responded positively, indicating that the visit is nearly confirmed. We hope that South Korean diplomats will do their best to fully resolve the economic conflict caused by the THAAD deployment by the time of Xi’s visit next year.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]