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lee seong-hyon

Deepening asymmetry between Korea, China

I once received an apology from a Chinese woman who was enrolled in an MBA course at Tsinghua University, the alma mater of Chinese President Xi Jinping. After learning that she was from Guangdong Province, I mentioned that Wang Yang, then-Guangdong's Party Secretary, had recently visited Korea. I also said that there would be a Korea-China summit soon. It was a gesture to build rapport with her.

2021-02-16 17:07

US-China next-phase race

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to deliver his most substantive foreign policy remarks since becoming president on restoring “America's place” in the world. Biden is likely to talk about “leadership” and “multilateralism” according to the Chinese media. In a not-so-veiled warning, it said that if Biden's multilateralism means only strengthening the U.S. alliance structure, it would be indicative of an American attempt for “baquan” or hegemony.

2021-02-02 16:47

Korea-Japan relations in doldrums

A recent court ruling over a key historical issue between South Korea and Japan has emerged as another major impediment to Seoul-Tokyo ties. On Jan. 8, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery, ordering the Japanese government to pay 100 million won ($91,500) in compensation to each of the 12 victims who had filed the case. "The defendant's illegal activities are recognized and the plaintiffs suffered from severe mental and physical pain," the court said.

2021-01-19 16:53

Next 30 years of Korea-China ties

South Korea and China recently agreed to form the so-called “Korea-China Relations Future Development Committee." The duo are one year away from earmarking the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. The committee is intended to shape the next 30 years of bilateral ties. To look at the future, it's first warranted to review the past.

2021-01-05 16:58

How COVID-19 strengthened Xi's power

By Lee Seong-hyonThe two most important events for China in 2020 were COVID-19 and the U.S.-China conflict. Chinese leader Xi Jinping used COVID-19 to strengthen his power. U.S. President Donald Trump ignored COVID-19, and lost power. Pandemic politics is a renewed discipline of academic interest for researchers to dwell on.The COVID-19 pandemic is a non-security issue, and there was consensus on the need for cooperation in the international community. Yet the U.S.-China relationship became antagonized over the origin and the matter of placing responsibility for COVID-19, further exacerbatin...

2020-12-22 16:50

China drawing Northeast Asia strategy without US

China's foreign ministry stated that Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Seoul has achieved "rich results"(fengfu chengguo). China's most important achievement is that it has secured an opportunity to advance a China-led regional cooperation mechanism in Northeast Asia without U.S. involvement. This will stimulate intra-East Asian economic integration, centered on China.

2020-12-08 17:00

Wang Yi's visit and Korea-China summit

There is a learning curve for Korean journalists when it comes to Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister. In the past, when Wang visited Seoul, they assumed that he was coming to Seoul to prepare for a summit between President Moon Jae-in and General Secretary Xi Jinping. After a few disappointments and another fallen hope from the recent visit by Politburo member Yang Jiechi, they've become wiser. Now, they do “know” Wang's visit is more about the United States than about Korea.

2020-11-24 17:12

Fragile American democracy; Biden's foreign policy

Donald Trump has been denied a second term; and there was a collective sigh of relief among Washington's Asian allies. Yet it's premature to expect everything to go back to “normal” so that we can all sing “We are the world” together. Biden's election did not end the American “democratic crisis.”

2020-11-10 16:40

Xi Jinping's historical revision of Korean War

Chinese leader Xi Jinping joined the pack of historians and scholars who, over the years, have attempted to present a different interpretation of the Korean War.

2020-10-27 17:43

China's conditions to US (III)

The statements from three ranking Chinese diplomats, who sent out similar messages to the United States in August, emit the signature feature of China's diplomatic strategy: "be prepared both for war and peace."

2020-10-13 17:45

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