Sino-ROK summit to focus on peace on Korean Peninsula

The upcoming summit between the leaders of China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) is likely to focus on bilateral issues, analysts told China Daily as ROK President Lee Myung-bak is due to start a three-day trip to China on Monday.

At the invitation of President Hu Jintao, Lee is the first top leader of a foreign country to pay a state visit to China this year.

Ahead of this year's 20th anniversary of China-ROK diplomatic relations, the two leaders will discuss how to develop their bilateral strategic partnership and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the ROK president's office.

It will be Lee's sixth visit to China and his second state visit to the country since taking office in February 2008.

His visit comes after the death on Dec 17 of Kim Jong-il, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which has focused the world's attention on the Korean Peninsula.

Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell visited Beijing to discuss the DPRK issues.

He said Washington and Beijing would maintain "very close contact" concerning developments in the DPRK and urged all parties to "refrain from provocation".

The ROK government has also asked China to help "restrain" the DPRK from any "provocation" or "hostile acts". And it said its primary foreign policy goal this year is maintaining stability on the peninsula.

In an interview with Yonhap News last week, Lee Kyu-hyung, ROK ambassador to China, claimed that China seemed to be unwilling to condemn Pyongyang or even supported its "provocations".

But Huang Youfu, director of the Institute of Korean Studies at Minzu University of China, argued that the cautious position of the Chinese government has increased the possibility for the Six-Party Talks to resume.

"I do not see any problem with what China has done for the stability of the Korean Peninsula," Huang said. "If Lee wants to ask China to use its influence on Pyongyang, Seoul should understand China shares the same view that tensions on the peninsula cannot be intensified."

Zhang Liangui, a professor of international strategic research at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, also pointed out that non-intervention in internal affairs is Beijing's consistent principle and therefore, it has its own way to deal with issues of the Korean Peninsula, and this is "possibly not the same as the ROK has expected".

"I don't see that there is much possibility for Beijing and Seoul to have profound talks about Pyongyang."

Instead, Zhang said he thought bilateral issues, such as how to avoid conflicts and ensure the safety of fishermen based on the fishery agreement between the two sides, would feature more prominently during the talks.

In December, a Chinese fisherman, who was caught "fishing illegally" in the Yellow Sea off Incheon, west of Seoul, was reported to have killed an ROK coast guard and injured another in stabbings.

"Considering the importance of stable diplomatic tie with China, promoting the healthy development of the fishery agreement is equally necessary for the ROK," said Huang from Minzu University of China.

Another area which will come up for discussion at the summit is bilateral trade, as China is the largest buyer of ROK-made goods and the ROK is China's third-largest trading partner after the United States and Japan.

"Lee certainly hopes to make breakthroughs in ties with China before his first term as president ends," Huang said, adding that the ROK president will also talk with his Chinese counterpart about the launching of the formal negotiations on a free trade agreement.