Xi Jinping announced that the Chinese side will be exposed to APEC, why would South Korea take this step of "diplomatic risk"?

On October 13, just two weeks before the APEC summit in 2025, South Korean Foreign Minister Zhao Xiao suddenly announced to the outside world a key message: China will personally visit South Korea and attend the summit.

However, the Chinese side has not officially confirmed this news.

Why is South Korea eager to announce it first?

What kind of deep logic is hidden behind this diplomatic operation of "cutting first and playing later"?

And more importantly, what consequences will this risky diplomatic game have for South Korea?

Is it a move of wisdom, or a one-man show that may backfire?

Although China-South Korea relations have cooled down in recent years, the economic ties between the two countries remain close.

The data show that in the third quarter of 2025, the trade volume of China and South Korea remains high, especially in the fields of chips, automobiles, electric vehicle batteries, etc., and South Korea's reliance on the Chinese market is extremely high.

Manufacturing giants such as Samsung and SK Healey are almost inseparable from Chinese demand, and if they lose this market support, these companies will face huge pressure.

After Li assumed power in the Ming government, South Korea's economic growth was weak, and domestic people continued to criticize.

The APEC summit was held in Gyeongju, South Korea, and became the "diplomatic life-saving straw" of the Seoul government.

If the meeting between leaders of China and South Korea can be facilitated, it will not only demonstrate South Korea's diplomatic capabilities, but also send a signal that China-South Korea relations are warming up and inject confidence into the depressed economy.

Recently, China's relations with North Korea have become increasingly close.

At the founding military parade of North Korea, China sent its highest-level delegation to attend, a move that put more pressure on South Korea.

South Korea urgently needs to show North Korea and the international community its friendly relations with China to balance the regional political situation.

In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump will also attend APEC and has repeatedly expressed his desire for a direct dialogue with China.

Against the background of tense Sino-US relations, if South Korea can promote the contact between Chinese and American leaders in Gyeongju, it will greatly enhance South Korea's geographical importance in Asia-Pacific affairs, and at the same time brush its sense of presence in front of the US.

The logic for South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Xian to announce China's participation in the meeting was very simple: "If China really comes, South Korea can claim credit in advance; if China does not come, it can use public opinion to put pressure on China to consider its diplomatic image."

This is a typical diplomatic operation of "cutting first and playing later", trying to kidnap China's decision-making with public opinion.

However, this strategy, although it may seem clever, has enormous diplomatic risks.

If China ultimately decides not to participate, South Korea¡¯s operation will turn into a ¡°self-humiliation¡± monopoly, instead of damaging its international image.

China has not yet officially confirmed whether it will attend the APEC summit in Changzhou.

The Chinese side has consistently attached greater importance to actual actions than verbal promises, and has failed to make clear that China still has concerns about this matter.

In particular, recently, China announced countermeasures against South Korea¡¯s China Sea Ocean Corporation and its five U.S. affiliates, which added many uncertainties to China¡¯s visit to the summit.

If China decides to participate in the meeting, it will focus on promoting regional cooperation and stabilizing the Asia-Pacific order, rather than being led by South Korea's "show diplomacy."

On the contrary, China may also choose to send special envoys or deputy prime minister-level officials to attend the event to show its attitude without losing measure.

Diplomacy is never the stage of the storm, but the battlefield of national interests.

If South Korea wants to really play a role in Asia-Pacific affairs, it needs to deal with its relations with China more cautiously, while also finding its place in the geo-game.

Whether this "dangerous chess" can work ultimately depends on China's attitude and South Korea's follow-up response.