The 93 military parade is getting closer and closer, and leaders of various countries must be preparing to visit Beijing together.
However, no one expected that at this moment, it would be reported that the president of a country refused to come to Beijing to participate in the military parade, and even downgraded.
Why is this president so big?
Since the news of the military parade broke out, there has been a lot of news about whether the leaders of that country will come. However, around August 20, some media with close ties to the South Korean Presidential Office began to spread the news that the newly appointed President Lee Zai-ming's schedule was too full and might not be able to spare time to Beijing.
This reason sounded official and common, but after all, it had not been officially confirmed, so there was still room for it at the time.
Especially in diplomatic matters, even in the last minute, there may be variations.
But nobody thought that this thing turned from rumor to real hammer, it only took a few days.
On August 22, at a routine press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, reporters directly asked about this question.
The spokesman's response is a model of diplomatic statement, and he did not directly say that Li was not coming, but smiled and expressed that China welcomed the visit of South Korea's special envoy to China.
This is polite and thoughtful, but the meaning behind it can't be clearer. The president himself will not come, but his special envoy.
In the diplomatic field, this statement is the final confirmation.
And South Korean officials also announced on August 22 that Speaker Yu Yuanzhi will be invited to attend the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
This degradation of the Korean side’s attitude toward this activity is a complete announcement to the world!
Although the specification of the team they sent was not low, the absence of the president itself transmitted a complex and subtle signal.
So what is Li Zaiming busy with that can make him turn off Beijing's kind invitation?
The answer was quickly revealed, and his itinerary may explain the real reason behind his decision.
It turned out that at the same time that the news of not going to Beijing was confirmed, Li Zaiming's high-profile itinerary was also released.
On August 23, he flew to Japan first to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and then he left for the United States non-stop on the 24th, preparing to hold a summit meeting with President Trump on the 25th.
This order of visiting Japan first and then visiting the United States is a major event in South Korean politics. In decades, the first country visited by South Korea's new president after taking office is almost always the United States.
Symbolizing the ROK-US alliance as the cornerstone of its diplomacy, Li Jaiming has chosen not to follow the usual path this time, which makes people think about it.
In the relationship with Japan, Li's shift in Ming also made a big blink, and he was a flagship anti-Japanese party during the campaign, but the attitude changed immediately.
Choosing to meet with the Japanese Prime Minister before going to the United States is a huge signal of goodwill in itself. What is even more surprising is what he said in an exclusive interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun.
He said that now that he became president, he was different from when he was in the opposition party and could not be too concerned about historical issues. These remarks were obviously to stabilize the current relations between South Korea and Japan.
However, Li Zai-ming's attempt to please both sides has ignited public anger in South Korea, especially the content of the exclusive interview.
He not only said he should acknowledge the agreements reached by previous governments, but also suggested that the historical issues could be twisted, which in many Koreans sounds like a betrayal.
Soon, a coalition of more than 690 civil society groups stood up and held a press conference, condemning Li Ziming's remarks as reversing history.
The Korean people are very excited, because both the past agreement on comfort women and the third-party compensation scheme on forced labor are very controversial in Korea.
The victims 'demands were not met at all, and Japan has never issued a formal apology. The public originally expected Li Zai-ming to correct these problems after taking office, but he chose to accept them all.
There are group representatives who do not understand, if even the president thinks history does not matter, how can the people go to justice with Japan?
This compromise on historical issues also made the promises he made during the campaign seem extremely hollow.
Although he put Japan on his first stop, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the real highlight of this trip was actually the United States.
He planned to personally visit the Hanover Group’s shipyard in Philadelphia, which was not just a simple visit, but a university question behind it.
This move is not only to cooperate with the U.S. plan to make the U.S. shipbuilding industry great again, but also to give the host face. The more realistic purpose may be to show loyalty to Washington by deeply participating in the manufacturing and maintenance orders of U.S. warships.
After all, Lee is a leftist progressive, and the United States has always had some doubts about him, and he needs to prove himself a reliable ally with this tangible practical action.
What's even more dramatic is that just two days before Li Jaiming set off,That is, on August 21, his Foreign Minister Zhao Xian suddenly flew to the United States alone to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio.
Before such an important summit, the foreign minister did not accompany the president, but instead arrived early, which is extremely rare.
The outside world immediately talked about it, and it was widely speculated whether the two sides couldn't agree on some key issues of the talks.
For example, trade tariffs or military expenditure sharing requires the foreign minister to put out the fire in advance and get rid of the most difficult bones first.
When Lee Jae-myung came to power, he vowed to improve relations with China, let Korean goods be sold to China, and make the tourism industry popular again.
But now, on the one hand, he ignores Beijing's invitation, and on the other hand, he courts the United States and Japan. This contrast makes his supporters feel very disappointed.
Today, Li Zaiming is walking in a dangerous situation of internal and external difficulties, and even seems to have a vague posture of repeating the mistakes of his predecessor in another way.
He prioritizes the US-Japan alliance over China's feelings.
Moreover, his strategy towards North Korea is also very contradictory. While following the United States to engage in large-scale military exercises, he talks empty words about improving relations.
This increased North Korea’s distrust of him, saying he was a hypocritical politician.
At home, his softening attitude toward Japan completely injured the hearts of his core supporters.
Progressive voters and groups of victims of history felt betrayed, and the National Power Party seized the opportunity to sharply criticize him, causing his support rate to decline, and it was really not better at home and abroad.
At the moment, it seems that how he will handle himself and how to lead South Korea to take every step of the way is still a big problem.
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