China’s Xi Visits US Ally South Korea, Balancing Act for All

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to South Korea, a key U.S. ally, underscored the delicate balancing act all three nations are engaged in. While Seoul and Beijing signed seven economic agreements, tensions over North Korea and U.S. influence were palpable.
President Lee Jae Myung, who just hosted U.S. President Donald Trump, used the summit to ask Xi for help in restarting talks with North Korea. That effort was immediately rejected by Pyongyang, a Chinese ally, as a “pipe dream.”
Lee also had to raise issues directly related to the U.S. alliance. These included Chinese sanctions on U.S.-linked units of a South Korean shipbuilder and the long-standing entertainment ban stemming from the 2017 deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system.
For his part, Xi called South Korea an “inseparable partner” but also urged “respect for each other’s social systems” and “core interests.” Chinese state media reports on the summit conspicuously omitted any mention of the North Korea discussions.
The visit was also met with “China Out” protests in Seoul, highlighting domestic opposition to Beijing’s influence in the U.S.-allied nation.