China to send vice-president to new South Korean president’s inauguration

Wang Qishan’s visit comes as Beijing is watching to see if Yoon Suk-yeol will move South Korea closer to the US

Washington is seeking to strengthen its alliances to keep Beijing in check and Joe Biden will travel to Seoul later this month to meet Yoon

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Yoon Suk-yeol will be inaugurated on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 7:52pm, 6 May 2022Updated: 8:40pm, 6 May 2022

Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan plans to attend the inauguration of South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol next week, the two countries announced on Friday.

Beijing is concerned that Seoul may be moving closer to the United States and Yoon has vowed to strengthen the alliance in the face of growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea and as Washington pushes to keep Beijing’s growing influence in check.

Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan will serve as Xi Jinping’ special envoy. Photo: Reuters

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Wang would be travelling as a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping for Tuesday’s ceremony.

US President Joe Biden will visit South Korea after the ceremony and meet Yoon on May 21 before travelling to Japan to meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Biden and Kishida will also meet the Australian and Japanese prime ministers at a gathering of the Quad security group.

The United States is sending Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice-President Kamala Harris, as the head of its delegation to the inauguration, according to Yoon’s team.

Liu Jiangyong, a specialist in China-Japan relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Wang’s trip came at a critical moment.