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Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Community Party’s Central Committee Politburo, shakes hands with Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong on Sept. 8, 2019. (provided by the Blue House)

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Politburo in charge of foreign affairs, appears poised to visit South Korea as early as next week. The next question is why Yang is visiting so abruptly. Yang will be visiting Seoul amid a US-China conflict over Hong Kong and other issues so vicious that some have been calling it a “new Cold War.”

The Blue House and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) remained tight-lipped when asked on Aug. 13 about Yang’s surprise visit announcement. When asked by reporters in a regular briefing about the schedule and agenda for Yang’s visit, MOFA spokesperson Kim In-chul merely reiterated that he could “not confirm anything.” But by not clearly denying the reports as being contrary to the facts, his remarks effectively acknowledged a strong likelihood that Yang will visit South Korea as early as next week -- with only the actual schedule yet to be finalized. Sources also reported that the agenda to be discussed during Yang’s visit has not yet been fully coordinated. Yang’s South Korea visit would be the first in over two years since an undisclosed visit in July 2018.

One possible reason for Yang’s visit may be to discuss a schedule for President Xi Jinping to visit South Korea within the year. But in that case, there would be no reason to skip over the ordinary diplomatic lineup and directly involve as high-ranking a figure as Yang during the delicate situation involving the COVID-19 pandemic. In a National Assembly Q&A session on July 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said, “A South Korea visit by President XI Jinping is being pursued within the year in principle. Our position is that we are pursuing things at the appropriate time while observing the situation with the novel coronavirus pandemic, and we have not been coordinating toward any specific date.”

Yang may want to discuss G7 summit and S. Korea’s missile guidelines

For that reason, a more convincing supposition about the real reason for Yang’s visit is that something has happened that it is momentous enough to require him to meet directly with Blue House National Security Office Director Suh Hoon and other key members of the foreign affairs lineup to directly relay Beijing’s position. Possible issues that come to mind include US President Donald Trump’s spontaneous proposal in late May to expand the G7 framework to counter China or the amendment of South Korea-US missile guidelines announced by the Blue House late last month.

China is likely to have reacted very sensitively to the idea of amending South Korea-US missile guidelines. On July 29, President Moon Jae-in clearly signaled plans to ease restrictions on ballistic missile range from their current 800km limit, calling for “continued efforts to ensure complete missile sovereignty.” If South Korea increases the range from its current level, it would gain the ability to strike not only all areas of North Korea but Beijing as well. In effect, the US -- which still holds wartime operational control (OPCON) -- would be able to use the ballistic missiles of its ally to directly contain China.

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff writer

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