Yoon to visit Indonesia, India for ASEAN, G20 summits
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the 2022 ASEAN Plus Three (South Korea, Japan and China) Summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 12, 2022. From left are Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Yoon and then-Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a seven-day trip to Indonesia and India to each attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the Group of 20 (G20) Summit, with an eye on a possible summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee will depart for Jakarta on Sept. 5 to participate in the ASEAN Summit and then will visit New Delhi on Sept. 8 to attend the G20 Summit, First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo said during a press briefing, Thursday.
In Jakarta, Yoon will attend the South Korea-ASEAN Summit on Sept. 6 to discuss the current status of the two sides' cooperation and explore ideas to expand their partnerships. Also, the president will participate in the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which involves the leaders of South Korea, Japan, China and ASEAN members.
From Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to attend the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, while Chinese Premier Li Qiang is anticipated to attend the gathering.
“Following the previous South Korea-ASEAN Summit in November last year, Korea has revealed its own Indo-Pacific Strategy and (South) Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative,” Kim said. “By attending ASEAN-related summits for the second consecutive year, President Yoon will stress that South Korea is putting its priority on ASEAN.”
First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
On Sept. 7, Yoon will attend the East Asia Summit, which involves 18 nations in the region, and will deliver Seoul's position on various regional and international issues, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and how South Korea will contribute toward safeguarding the rules-based international order.
On Sept. 8, Yoon will have a summit with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, at the invitation of the latter. It is a return visit to President Widodo's visit to Seoul in July last year, and is aimed at strengthening the strategic partnerships with Indonesia in the fields of security and emerging industries.
Yoon will then fly to New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit on Sept. 9, and will participate in three sessions to showcase Seoul's efforts to address climate change, the energy transition and challenges that the international community is facing.
On the occasion of those visits, Yoon will have bilateral summits with leaders from Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Spain, Argentina and a number of other countries. He will leave India on Sept. 10 after having a meeting with local South Korean companies.
“So far, the G20 Summit has been the venue for global debates on issues including climate change, trade, development and digital, and President Yoon will stress South Korea's contribution to the world's battle against climate change,” Kim said. “Also, he will put emphasis on safeguarding the rules-based international order for the future.”
Kim noted that Yoon is also seeking to exploit the multilateral events and bilateral summits as a chance to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their summit at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 15, 2022. Yonhap
Gaining attention among Yoon's itinerary items is a possible summit with Chinese President Xi.
According to South Korean government officials, the country's foreign affairs officials are now in talks with their Chinese counterparts to arrange the Yoon-Xi summit on the occasion of the G20 Summit, but Beijing is yet to state whether its leader will travel to New Delhi.
“So far, China has been sending its premier to ASEAN-related events and its president to the G20 Summit, but Beijing is not announcing who will come to which multilateral event,” a senior official at the presidential office said. “Whether Yoon will have a summit with Xi depends on who China sends to the G20 Summit. Depending on the result, a dialogue could be opened up, or it might be postponed to a multilateral event thereafter.”
If a summit takes place, it will be the second summit between Yoon and Xi, following last year's G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
During last year's summit, Yoon and Xi acknowledged that their countries' relationship has experienced noticeable growth and they will work together for further progress based on mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests.
However, in the details, the leaders found differences in their positions on multiple agendas, such as containing North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Since the last summit, bilateral relations have been locked in a slump, casting a gloomy outlook on whether there will be greater progress compared to if Yoon and Xi meet at this year's event.
South Korea strengthened its trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan by agreeing to multiple cooperation arrangements on security and the economy at the three-way summit at Camp David on Aug. 18.
Due to the political deadlock, the focus is on the economic partnership between the two countries to address each other's domestic slowdowns.
The senior presidential official also said that chances are slim for a South Korea-Japan-China summit or a South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit to take place on the occasion of Yoon's upcoming trip.