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Upon arrival in Beijing on Tuesday, Lee will meet his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao for their first talks. He hopes to focus on forging a new partnership with China, South Korea’s largest trading partner and its biggest strategic and economic challenge as well.
At the summit, Lee and Hu are expected to agree on upgrading their bilateral relations into a future-oriented "strategic partnership" from the existing "comprehensive partnership," Lee's presidential office said.
Under the new strategic partnership, the two neighbors would "boost bilateral cooperation that encompasses a wide range of topics including security, economy, environment and culture as well as taking joint steps toward regional and global issues," it said.
The proposal of a "strategic partnership" was first made last year by Lee's liberal predecessor Roh Moo-hyun, but dismissed by China over concerns of possible friction with its communist ally North Korea, which is technically in a state of war with the South.
Following Lee’s election in December, and his pledge to strengthen ties with the United States and Japan, China has revived the idea of a "strategic partnership," and Seoul's new president accepted the proposal, according to a diplomatic source.
The source said China has been concerned that Lee's U.S.-focused foreign policy could undermine relations between Seoul and Beijing. "Chinese officials suspect Lee would try to win economic profits in dealing with China, while deepening overall ties with Beijing's rivals, the United States and Japan," the source said.
Just weeks after taking office in February as the country’s first conservative leader in a decade, Lee rushed to Washington and Tokyo to reach accords on stronger ties. In particular, Lee was invited by U.S. President George W. Bush to the presidential retreat of Camp David, the first South Korean leader to receive such an invitation, reflecting warming bilateral ties between the two conservative leaders.
Fueling China's concerns, South Korea and Japan plan to conclude their first comprehensive military agreement this year, which could lead to the formation of a trilateral military alliance led by the United States to curb North Korea and China, according to the source.
The United States has already been leading a campaign to launch a joint Asian-Pacific security entity, which would include South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, apparently aimed at countering potential threats from China and North Korea, it said.
During his four-day state visit to Beijing, Lee will seek to dispel China’s worries, officials said, noting that the new South Korean leader is pushing for "pragmatic diplomacy" aimed at "maximizing the national interest in a more pragmatic way," rather than ideological conviction.
Lee’s China visit "is expected to provide chances to confirm China's support for and understanding of our diplomatic policies and strengthen close cooperation between the two countries in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue," the presidential office said.
Lee is expected to ask China to cooperate with his North Korea policies and help break the impasse in inter-Korean relations. The conservative leader has vowed to be tough in dealing with the North, but said the South would provide massive economic aid to triple the North's per capita income to US$3,000 within the next 10 years only if the communist neighbor gives up its nuclear weapons drive.
But Pyongyang has cut off all official dialogue with Seoul, branding Lee a "traitor" and "U.S. sycophant." The famine-hit North did not request food aid from the South, indicating cross-border relations would remain chilly.
Seoul officials consider China, the North's only remaining communist ally, as one of few nations that have leverage over the defiant leadership in Pyongyang. "We hope China will deliver to North Korea our sincerity on inter-Korean relations," a government official said.
In an effort to warm up his Beijing visit, Lee visited the Chinese Embassy in Seoul last week to deliver condolences over the victims of a devastating earthquake that hit the country May 12. He also sent a team of rescue workers to the affected area shortly after the quake.
