Coronavirus likely to be on agenda as China’s top diplomat heads to South Korea

Politburo member Yang Jiechi set to meet Seoul’s national security chief in Busan

Relations between the two countries have improved in recent months as South Korean President Moon Jae-in has kept quiet on issues sensitive to Beijing, observer says

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Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi is set to arrive in the South Korean city of Busan on Friday. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:00pm, 21 Aug 2020Updated: 2:35pm, 21 Aug 2020

China’s top diplomat is set to travel to South Korea on Friday, as Beijing seeks to bolster ties with one of the few regional powers it is not battling on one front or another.

Yang Jiechi, who is a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, is expected to meet Suh Hoon, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, in Busan to discuss Covid-19 cooperation, future diplomatic meetings, and issues of mutual interest on the Korean peninsula, according to a statement released by the Blue House.

Yang last visited South Korea in 2018, when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in. He was expected to fly to Busan from Singapore, where he spent two days meeting senior officials, including the city state’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and his deputy, Heng Swee Keat.

The trip by Yang comes at a time when South Korea has been dealing with a fresh cluster of Covid-19 infections since last week. The spread has so far shown no signs of slowing, with 324 new cases recorded on Thursday.

Despite ongoing clashes with India, Australia, Japan and the United States, China’s relationship with South Korea has improved in recent months.

In an effort to get two-way trade back to pre-Covid-19 levels, the countries opened a fast-track lane for business travellers in May, and in August Beijing resumed issuing visas to all visitors from South Korea – the first country to be granted the access since China closed its borders to foreigners in March to contain the coronavirus.