► Wen Observer Network Ruan Jiaqi

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the United States was under great pressure from the very beginning.

On the 25th local time, a few hours before he arrived at the White House, U.S. President Trump suddenly posted a public message and shouted,"What happened to South Korea? It looks like a purge or revolution. We can't do business there while this is happening. I'm meeting with the new president at the White House today. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!"

At that time, the specific meaning of Trump's statement was not clear. Some US media speculated that this might be another of his usual tactics to use the political situation in South Korea to pressure the South Korean side.

On Monday night, while attending the event at the Washington think tank¡¯s Center for Strategic and International Issues (CSIS), Lee said that before the two sides met, Trump posted a ¡°extremely threatening¡± online tweet, ¡°My sheriff was very worried at the time, afraid we would encounter the ¡®Zelensky moment.¡¯¡±

He was referring to the awkward "ghost scene" in which the Ukrainian president quarreled with Trump and US vice-president Vance in the Oval Office in February, prompting a burst of laughter from the audience.

Lee then added that, unlike the general panic among the visitors, he was confident that no similar situation would occur. He said that before visiting the United States he read Trump's book The Art of Transactions, and understood each other's negotiation strategy.

"President Trump mentioned in his book that there is a skill in negotiation: first propose unacceptable conditions to his opponent, but ultimately not make unreasonable decisions," Lee Zai-ming said."I have observed that he has followed this pattern when negotiating with other countries in the past. Coupled with the importance of the Korea-US alliance, I am sure he will not make any move that undermines the alliance."

Although there was no joint statement or announcement of any "major results" after the meeting, Mr. Lee hailed the outcome as "beyond expectations." "Overall, the outcome of the meeting was very good," he said. "Many people advised me to be'patient 'before, and now it seems that the patience is worth it."

The South China Morning Post quoted Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, as saying,"Overall, the two sides avoided any major rupture in the relationship, but otherwise, it's hard to say they achieved more."

Lee attended the think tank.

According to a report by Politico News Network on the 25th, Li Zaiming revealed at a think tank event that his meeting with Trump focused on two topics: one is to strengthen economic ties between the United States and South Korea, and the other is to promote the modernization of bilateral alliances based on the changing security situation and make them "more mutually beneficial and forward-looking."

However, Lee Jae-myung has always been vague about the details of the US-South Korea trade agreement. According to the agreement, the United States will impose a 15% tariff on South Korean products exported to the United States. At the same time, South Korea promises to invest more than US $350 billion in the United States and purchase an additional US $100 billion worth of energy products.

Mr. Trump hinted in the Oval Office on Monday that Seoul wanted to renegotiate parts of the deal, but later that afternoon he made clear the US would not budge.

¡°They have some objections to the agreement, but we insist,¡± Trump told reporters, ¡°the agreement must be implemented in accordance with what the two sides have previously agreed on, and they will abide by the agreement.¡±

On the day of the meeting, the news of Korean companies investing in the United States also spread one after another. Amazon announced that it will cooperate with Korean companies and start-up company X-energy to promote small nuclear reactor projects in the United States, and the investment scale will reach 50 billion US dollars; Boeing, General Aerospace and Korean Air signed a deal worth 50 billion US dollars, Korean Air will purchase 103 Boeing aircraft.

According to a report by Reuters on the 26th, the South Korean presidential office said that although the US-South Korea summit failed to reach a consensus on the outstanding details of the tariff agreement between the two countries, Lee Jae-myung confirmed that he would increase South Korea's own defense spending and play a more important role in responding to changes in the regional political situation, but the specific content has not been disclosed.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources of South Korea revealed on the same day that during Li Zaiming's visit to the United States, South Korean and American companies have signed 11 non-binding agreements covering shipbuilding, nuclear energy, aerospace, natural gas and key minerals.

Among them, the cooperation in the field of shipbuilding is particularly outstanding: Hyundai Heavy Industries has reached an agreement with Korea Development Bank and Cerberus Capital to jointly establish a multi-billion dollar joint investment fund to enhance the maritime capabilities of the United States and its allies, covering shipbuilding, marine logistics infrastructure and advanced marine technology; Samsung Heavy Industries has established cooperation with Weigel Marine Group, including the maintenance and repair of US Navy ships, the modernization of shipyards and joint shipbuilding projects.

During tariff talks in July, South Korealy proposed a package called "Revitalizing the U.S. Shipbuilding Industry", which is partly intended to help modernize U.S. shipbuilders.

In a speech on Monday evening, Lee also stressed that ¡°the South Korean shipbuilding industry with the world¡¯s top power will drive the U.S. shipbuilding industry to rejuvenate and create a new historic turning point for the common prosperity of the two countries.¡±

According to South Korea's $350 billion investment commitment to the United States, shipbuilding is one of the most specific investment areas, with a special project allocation of $150 billion.

On Tuesday (26th) local time, Li Zaiming also went to Philadelphia to visit the large US shipyard acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Group last year. Hanwha Group revealed on the same day that it plans to invest 5 billion US dollars to upgrade the shipyard, add 2 docks and 3 docks, and increase the annual output from less than 2 ships to up to 20 ships.

In a speech at the shipyard, Li Zaiming said: "The plan I proposed to President Trump to 'revitalize the American shipbuilding industry' is not just a vision of building large warships and cutting-edge ships, but also a grand plan to regain lost dreams. action."

However, experts, industry figures and South Korean officials all pointed out that a lot of effort is still needed to achieve this goal. Steve SK Jeong, head of global operations for Hanwha Ocean and Navy ships, previously admitted,"I think the U.S. shipbuilding industry has long lacked competitive pressure. Not only are the facilities outdated, but there is also a shortage of technical personnel."

South Korean industry officials told Reuters that it could take four to five years to train local workers and that it is currently difficult to recruit people willing to work in high-intensity shipbuilders.Steve added that Huawei is working hard to boost the project by advancing the modernization of facilities, training workers, and introducing efficient production processes.

On August 26, local time, Lee delivered a speech at the shipyard in Philadelphia.

Li Zaiming's China-related statement during his visit to the United States also aroused widespread concern. In a speech at a think tank event on the 25th, Lee Jae-myung said that, unlike the past, the ROK cannot continue to follow the so-called route of "securing the United States and managing China". The so-called "security between the United States and China" refers to South Korea's security cooperation with the United States and economic cooperation with China, and strives to "have both sides" between the United States and China.

Lee Jae-myung said that before the United States forcefully contained China and even adopted a blockade policy against China, the ROK did adhere to the line of "securing the United States and managing China". In recent years, the international community has undergone supply chain restructuring, and the United States has clarified its policy of containing China. As a result, South Korea can only act and make judgments within the basic policy framework of the United States.

He pointed out that while the United States and China form a competitive or even confrontational relationship, they also cooperate in individual fields. This is an undeniable fact. South Korea and China are geographically close, and South Korea is committed to properly handling inevitable problems between the two countries and maintaining bilateral relations.

Mr. Lee wants to build a balanced path of co-operation with the US without antagonising China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, Reuters said. On the same day that Mr. Lee left for the US, a special delegation led by Park Byung-suk, the former speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, arrived in Beijing at the same time. They not only handed over Li's personal letter to the Chinese side, but also made it clear that they wanted to "put China-South Korea relations back on track and strengthen economic and trade cooperation".

In addition, Yu Won Sik, the current Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea, will also attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the China People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 3.

Observer.com columnist Chang Luowen believes that this arrangement ostensibly avoids the increasingly narrow gap in Sino-US relations, but in fact misses a major opportunity to rewrite South Korea's history. "Small cleverness cannot solve big problems. After all, whether the South Korean president visits the United States and Japan first or China first has no real impact on China."

The column author of the Observer Network, China Academy of Social Sciences, Asia Pacific and Global Strategy Research Institute, Dr. Li Xingxian, said that Lee emphasized pragmatic and balanced diplomacy before he took office, and now inevitably takes a certain balance between China and the United States. Since the Korean-U.S. alliance is the core of South Korea's foreign policy, he visited the United States first.

Extended reading

On August 25 local time, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung went to the White House to meet with US President Trump. Although Lee Jae-myung's spokesperson insisted after the meeting that it was a "meeting to build rapport" and that "the atmosphere of the meeting was warm and there was no need to issue a written joint statement", in fact, the failure of the two heads of state to issue a joint statement still highlights the huge differences between South Korea and the United States on some thorny issues.

Hong Kong¡¯s South China Morning Post on August 26 quoted analysts as reporting that Lee¡¯s first meeting with Trump was very risky, brought unexpected challenges, burdened him heavily, and Trump¡¯s expansionism and unconventional diplomatic tendencies made allies nervous.

In addition, the United States has forced South Korea to play a greater role in dealing with its main strategic competitor, China. "President Trump is actually urging Seoul to make a choice: either join us to contain China or cede part of its territory," Doo Jin-ho of Korea's National Strategic Research Institute said in an interview. "After the summit, follow-up high-level talks may be plagued by this thorny issue, which has become a new concern in Seoul."

On August 24, when Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, met with Park Byung-suk, Special Envoy of the President of the ROK, in Beijing, he said that the development of China-ROK relations has proved that good-neighborliness and friendship, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and expanding cooperation are the right choices. China's policy towards the ROK should maintain stability and continuity. The two sides should abide by the original intention of establishing diplomatic relations, strengthen the direction of friendship, expand common interests, improve national feelings, properly handle sensitive issues, and promote China-ROK relations along the right track.

Li Zaiming poses with Trump

Asked by reporters during the meeting whether his administration would reduce the number of American troops in South Korea to give the United States more "flexibility" in the region, Mr. Trump said: "Maybe one of the things I want to do is ask them to give us ownership of the land where we have big military forts."

Trump is referring to the Humphreys Barracks where the US troops stationed in South Korea are stationed. He added that the U.S. has invested heavily in building the barracks, although South Korea has also contributed, "but I want to see if we can cancel the lease agreement and get ownership of the land where we have a large military base."

South Korea leases land to US forces under the Status of Forces Agreement, the agreed legal framework governing their status. The South China Morning Post quoted analysts as saying Mr. Trump's comments reflected his expansionist mindset, as he has also threatened to acquire or control Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada and even the Gaza Strip.

It is worth noting that the issues extended by the meeting between the heads of state of South Korea and the United States, from the issue of the US troops stationed in South Korea to the issue involving China, are all regarded as challenges faced by South Korea. The South China Morning Post also believes that this is a "heavy burden" for Lee Jae-myung.

However, the ideas of some South Koreans seem to be "too naive" and even have the meaning of "helping to count the money after being sold."

On the "positive side," Mr. Do claimed, the new American demand confirmed South Korea's strategic importance in dealing with a rising China, providing it with a potential bargaining chip in future negotiations.

¡°By demanding territorial concessions in the context of a violation of sovereignty, the United States has shown that no matter how the coalition¡¯s modernization and its role changes, it will continue to maintain its military base in South Korea,¡± he said.

In fact, long before the talks began, Lee told reporters that it was difficult for Seoul to accept U.S. demands for so-called ¡°flexibility¡± ¡ª a ¡°flexibility¡± that refers to using U.S. forces for broader actions, including so-called ¡°response to China.¡±

Li Zai-ming also made it clear that he would cooperate with China because excessive hostility would be detrimental to South Korea's interests and would not help the South Korea-US alliance. During this visit to the United States, American media and academic circles paid close attention to the diplomatic trends of Li Zai-ming's government, especially focusing on how it seeks a balance between the United States and China, and regarded "handling relations with China" as the so-called important "diplomatic test" facing Li Zai-ming.

According to Reuters, Li in Ming hopes to establish a path of balanced cooperation with the United States, while avoiding anger on South Korea's largest trading partner China.On the day of Li's departure to the United States, a special mission led by South Korea's former congressman Park Bingsey arrived in Beijing, not only to hand over Li's personal letter to the Chinese side, but also to express clearly the demand "to push China-Korea relations back on track and strengthen economic and trade cooperation".

Li Zai-ming then gave Trump the pen he had with him as a gift Photo/South Korea Nate News

In addition, Yu Won Sik, the current Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea, will also attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the China People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 3.

The column author, China Academy of Social Sciences, Asia-Pacific and Global Strategic Research Institute Dr. Li Chong-Ji, believes that Lee emphasized pragmatic and balanced diplomacy before he took office, and now inevitably takes a certain balance between China and the United States. Since the Korean-U.S. alliance is the core of South Korea's foreign policy, he first visited the United States. However, the same period of sending special envoy delegations to China and other trends also showed that although South Korea attaches importance to the Korean-U.S. alliance, it will not ignore relations with China.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee Jae-myung was invited to give a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) of the United States on August 25th, local time. He said that, unlike the past, the ROK cannot continue to follow the so-called route of "security and economy (security depends on the United States and economy depends on China)". According to the report, "Anmeijing China" refers to South Korea's security cooperation with the United States and economic cooperation with China, and strives to "have both sides" between the United States and China.

Lee said that South Korea adhered to the "An-Mexico-China" line before the United States strongly held China, and even adopted a blockade policy against China. In recent years, the international community has seen a supply chain restructuring, and the United States has made clear its policy to contain China.

Li explicitly stated that the US side forms a competitive or even confrontational relationship with China, and cooperates in individual fields, which is an undeniable fact.The two countries are geographically closer, and the Korean side is committed to properly addressing the inevitable problems between the two countries andining good bilateral relations.

The South China Morning Post believes that the first meeting between the United States and South Korea did not announce any significant results, including the trade agreement that the two countries have been negotiating. "Overall, I think the two sides avoided any major breakdown in their relationship, but beyond that, it's hard to say they achieved more," said Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.