«--[· Preface ·]--»
South Korea's ambassador to China has been vacant for nine months. After the United States won a "victory", Lee Zae-ming finally finalized the candidate for the ambassador.
«--[· Four months of "double guns" ·]--»
Lee Jae-myung was sworn in in Congress on June 4th. By mid-October, his presidency had just reached four months. At this point in time, the Korean diplomatic circle threw two "blockbusters".
The position of ambassador to China, which has been vacant for nearly nine months, finally has a place. The South Korean government held a state conference on October 14 and voted to pass the personnel bill under the chairmanship of Lee Zae-ming. Roh Jae-hyun, son of former President Roh Tae-woo, was basically confirmed to take up this position. The length of this vacancy has set a record since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea.
There has been a turnaround in the US investment talks over more than three months with the United States. South Korea's deputy prime minister for the economy, Miyamoto, openly said on 14 that the U.S. is no longer insisting on demanding full cash investment.
Two things landed in the window at the same time. The outside world speculated that it was no coincidence. After all, since Lee came to power, the outside world has not ceased to question his diplomatic priorities. Now the answer seems to be hidden in the connection between these two things.
The position of the ambassador to China has remained vacant since the ex-ambassador Zheng Huang left office in January. In the nine-month vacant window period, questioning has never been broken.
The second phase of the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations in the same period did not make much progress.
South Korea's civilians are worried that this "breakdown of cooperation" will affect the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.But these questioners may not see the mess of Qing Li's taking over.The legacy of "value diplomacy" left by Yin Xi Jinping has made China-Korea relations tighter in the first three years.
More difficult is the economic problem, in 2025, South Korea's GDP is expected to grow at zero, and Li launched a 120 trillion won stimulus program at the time of his entry to power.
The $35 billion US investment negotiations are the most pressing external problem.The funds are fast to catch up to eighty percent of South Korea's foreign exchange reserves.U.S. suddenly turned rumours at the end of July, demanding to change from "loans and guarantees mainly" to "full cash investment".
Lee Jae-myung's government can only concentrate its firepower on the United States first. If the ambassador to China is finalized in a hurry at this time, the United States is likely to take the opportunity to attack and put more pressure on investment issues. He can only temporarily postpone the appointment of the ambassador to China and solve the immediate "economic life and death situation" first.
“I’ve been in the United States for three months.”
No one expected that the seemingly weak South Korea could force the United States to push back.This three-month negotiation, Lee played a “combination kick” in the Ming administration.
When the U.S. just raised the full amount of cash demand, the pot exploded in South Korea. Co-Democratic MP Chen Zhang directly criticized that this unilateral requirement could not exceed Congress at all. Another member of parliament, Kim Jong-un, said more straightforwardly that this was not a consultation that sovereign countries should accept.
Civil protests have also been staged one after another. Small business owners took to the streets holding signs saying "Don't make us pay for America." Public opinion pressure has become a bargaining chip for the South Korean government.
In an interview with Reuters, he clearly warned that without the support of the currency exchange agreement, full cash investment would make South Korea resume the 1997 financial crisis.
Economy Deputy Prime Minister Maslow also personally visited Washington. he held detailed foreign exchange risk reports, and repeatedly chatted with U.S. Finance Secretary Besson. Maslow revealed on the 13th that the U.S. has responded by saying "understand the situation in South Korea".
Under multiple pressures, the United States finally relaxed. Although no specific plan was given, it clearly retreated from the "full cash" stance. Gu Runzhe called this "significant progress." This victory helped Li Zai-ming's approval rating rise from 52% to 60%, and also saved enough capital for him to adjust his diplomatic layout.
As soon as the U.S. negotiations made a breakthrough, the appointment of the ambassador to China followed closely with the landing.Lee's decision to elect Lu in the constitution hides deep consideration of China-Korea relations.
Lu Zaixian's identity comes with a "historical aura". His father, Roh Tae-woo, was the former South Korean president who promoted the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992. This year coincides with the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. Sending Roh Jae-hsien to China is equivalent to using "historical ties" to shorten the distance. This emotional connection is more effective than any diplomatic rhetoric.
What is more critical is Roh Jae-hsien's resume in China. He has no stereotyped traces of a professional diplomat, but he has been deeply involved in the field of exchanges between China and South Korea for many years. In 2012, he took the lead in establishing the East Asian Cultural Foundation, traveling between China and South Korea all year round to promote artistic and academic exchanges. In 2016, he became a consultant of the Chengdu International Consulting Group, and in 2018, he served as co-director of the South Korean Belt and Road Research Institute.
In August this year, Lu also visited China as a special ambassador to the President.He took the list of China-Korea industrial cooperation in advance, which is equivalent to doing enough "pre-heat" for the post.
Lu was more sincerely expressed in the interview. He described his mission in the Chinese language, "Mongong Mountains", saying that all efforts should be made to promote the development of China-Korea relations. This speech demonstrates both the understanding of Chinese culture and the determination to solve the problem.
Now Lu Zaixian's appointment is only approved by Lee Jae-myung. When he goes to China to perform his duties in the future, there is a high probability that he will bring pragmatic issues such as upgrading free trade agreements and new energy cooperation. On the other hand, South Korea is thinking about using "technical cooperation to compensate for defense expenses" and wants to continue its negotiating advantage.
“ ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ”
Li spent four months in Ming, turning Yin's left "passive diplomacy" into "active layout."The United States has just kept the economic bottom line, showing China to repair cooperation.This "victory" is just the beginning, and the next APEC summit is a greater test for his diplomatic wisdom.