Lee Jae-myung to navigate US-China divide at G7 debut

President Lee Jae-myung attends a press briefing at the presidential office in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Jun 8, 2025 4:38 PM KST
• Updated Jun 8, 2025 5:35 PM KST

Upcoming summit to test Korean leader's practical diplomatic approach

President Lee Jae-myung's upcoming attendance at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Canada will serve as an early test of his foreign policy amid renewed U.S. pressure on allies to align more closely with efforts to counter China's expanding influence.

The G7, which has adopted a more assertive posture toward China in recent years, is expected to serve as a key barometer for the newly elected Korean leader’s diplomatic trajectory, analysts said Sunday.

Lee, who has characterized his foreign policy as pragmatic and guided by Korea’s national interests, may use the multilateral forum to push back against domestic criticism that he is too accommodating toward Beijing. At the same time, the liberal president will need to tread carefully to avoid undermining what many in Seoul see as a fragile but improving relationship with China.

The presidential office confirmed Saturday that Lee will attend the summit in Alberta from June 15 to 17, at the invitation of the host nation. Although Korea is not a G7 member, it has been invited to participate in expanded sessions in recent years.

The summit will mark Lee’s debut on the global diplomatic stage, following his election victory last Tuesday. Analysts say the event could offer early clues about how the new administration plans to navigate its balancing act between Washington and Beijing on trade and security issues.

"The summit could provide an opportunity for the new president to ease perceptions that he is pro-China and anti-U.S. Although the multilateral gathering traditionally does not delve deeply into Korea's foreign policy agenda, Lee's presence is meaningful as a sign of the nation's political recovery," said Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Kang added that China-related issues are bound to come up at the summit, given the G7’s increasingly critical stance toward Beijing.

At a finance ministers’ meeting last month, G7 members pledged to strengthen cooperation against "non-market policies and practices," language widely interpreted as a rebuke of China’s state-led economic model. In March, G7 foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, implicitly condemning China’s recent actions.

"But it would be wise for Lee to remain low-key on flashpoint issues such as Taiwan or the South China Sea, especially early in his presidency when his room for diplomacy is limited," Kang said.

China is also expected to watch closely for whether a trilateral meeting between Korea, the U.S. and Japan will take place on the sidelines of the summit — an arrangement Beijing regards as a potential step toward creating a "mini-NATO" in Asia.

"For Lee, reaffirming the trilateral partnership, as he has pledged, is crucial. But Beijing will likely view any display of such solidarity as a sign of containment, as it has in the past," the professor said.

The Lee administration faces a delicate balancing act between Washington and Beijing in the coming months, as Seoul's major diplomatic goal this year is inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit which Korea will host in late October.

Possible Lee-Trump meeting

One of the most closely watched developments at the G7 Summit will be whether Lee has his first in-person meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders spoke by phone on Friday and agreed to meet at the earliest opportunity, raising the possibility of a bilateral meeting in Canada.

While such a meeting would likely be largely symbolic, analysts caution that Trump's unpredictable style could bring weighty topics to the table, including trade and defense cost-sharing.

"The top policy priority for Lee will likely be to kick off good relations with the United States and successfully navigate trade and cost-sharing negotiations," said Henry Haggard, a senior adviser at the Washington-based consulting firm WestExec Advisors and a former U.S. State Department official.

Haggard also said the issue of "strategic flexibility" of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) — a policy that allows Washington to deploy American troops based in Korea to other locations, such as in the event of a Taiwan contingency — is likely to remain a key topic in alliance discussions.

"The U.S. and South Korea have discussed strategic flexibility for over 20 years and I expect the two allies will continue to do so ... This is the exact type of conversation close allies should have to make sure both sides’ interests are well understood," he said.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King’s College London, said the Trump administration could seek to solidify the concept further.

"I expect the Trump administration to press for this principle to be made more explicit," he said. "I think that this gives Lee an opportunity to raise issues such as wartime OPCON transfer, the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines and joining AUKUS Pillar Two.”

Sean King, senior vice president at the New York-based consulting firm Park Strategies, pointed to a potential early diplomatic win for Lee: Korea’s removal from the U.S. Department of Energy's sensitive country list.

The designation, which took effect in April, restricts Korean researchers from participating in certain energy and nuclear-related joint projects with Washington. Seoul has been lobbying for an exemption, with some observers noting that the Asian nation should stress its nonproliferation record in related discussions.

“Anybody who knows Korea knows that the ruling party doesn’t want nuclear weapons in Korea ... Lee himself has a believable anti-proliferation story to tell,” King said.