As South Korea’s president visits China, Beijing’s treatment of Seoul and Tokyo is a study in contrasts with a very clear message on Taiwan.
Beijing’s battle for hearts and Seouls
Everywhere Taoiseach Micheál Martin went in Beijing over the past few days, he saw the Irish Tricolour fluttering or standing next to the Chinese national flag. But if he had arrived early for his meetings at the Great Hall of the People with Xi Jinping and the next two most senior figures in the Communist Party hierarchy, he would instead have seen South Korea’s flag with its distinctive red and blue taegeuk on a white background.
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung is also visiting China this week, with a similar programme to the Taoiseach’s in Beijing and Shanghai. But while China’s relationship with Ireland has long been calm and fairly uncomplicated, Beijing’s relations with Seoul are taking their first, tentative steps out of years of turbulence.
Lee became president last year after the impeachment of his conservative successor Yoon Suk Yeol, who tried to shut down the legislature and seize emergency powers in a six-hour coup. Lee was elected on a promise to rebalance South Korea’s foreign policy by engaging with China and to attempt to restart dialogue with North Korea.
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Lee and Xi this week agreed to hold annual summits and the two sides signed a number of economic agreements, with Beijing signalling a future easing of some restrictions on trade. Chief among this is an unofficial but effective ban on Korean cultural products, including concerts by K-pop bands and the broadcast of Korean television dramas, both of which are popular in China.
The ban, which Beijing has never acknowledged, came into force in 2016 after South Korea deployed the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile defence system. China said the deployment was a threat to its security.
Beijing’s charm offensive towards Seoul comes as it steps up its pressure on Tokyo following Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting that the Japanese military could be deployed in response to an invasion of Taiwan. China this week announced export controls on goods bound for Japan that could be used for military purposes as well as commercial ones.
The move, which could affect up to 40 per cent of Chinese exports to Japan, comes as Beijing is reported to be considering further restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals that Japanese manufacturers need. It follows an official warning to Chinese tourists to avoid travelling to Japan, where they account for a quarter of visitors every year.
Xi’s wooing of Lee could pay dividends for both Beijing and Seoul in increased economic activity and easing diplomatic tensions. But its contrast with Beijing’s approach to Tokyo also sends a loud message about how China uses economic rewards and punishments to discourage what it sees as foreign interference over Taiwan.
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