Chinese state media spotlight Lee’s Shanghai visit, seek to drive wedge between Seoul and Tokyo
President Lee Jae Myung during a state visit to China reviews an honor guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday. Yonhap
As President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up a four-day state visit to China on Wednesday, Chinese state-run media highlighted shared themes of South Korea-China cooperation and wartime anti-Japanese resistance, a move seen as an attempt to drive a wedge between Korea and Japan and weaken trilateral cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, published an editorial that said Lee's visit to the site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai on the final day of his trip sent “a clear signal that historical issues have not yet turned the page.”
Since 1992, when President Roh Tae-woo visited the site during its restoration, every Korean president has visited either the Shanghai or Chongqing provisional government site at least once — except former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who did not travel to China during his term. Yet the People's Daily wrote that Lee chose this destination, attaching special significance to the visit.
The paper highlighted the shared history of anti-Japanese resistance during World War II, reemphasizing “China-Korea versus Japan” framing. It stressed, “As nations that both suffered immense national sacrifices during World War II, China and Korea should jointly safeguard the achievements of the World War II victory and jointly uphold peace and stability in Northeast Asia.”
Amid prolonged Sino-Japanese tensions following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks hinting at intervention in a Taiwan contingency, China is sending conflicting messages to Korea and Japan.
The state-run Global Times, citing experts, said, “China and South Korea share the historical experience of jointly resisting Japanese aggression, while Japan and South Korea still have deep disagreements over recognition of historical issues, including unresolved issues such as compensation for Korean forced laborers during the war and the 'comfort women' issue.” It added that “Japanese media outlets have continued their attention over Lee's visit to China.”
Many analysts say China’s combination of diplomatic outreach to South Korea and pressure on Japan is part of a broader strategy to stoke friction between Seoul and Tokyo. The aim is to isolate governments that challenge China's stance on Taiwan and prevent other nations from openly supporting Taiwan.
“Beijing is clearly trying to drive a wedge between Korea and Japan, hoping to leverage Lee’s desire to restore ‘balance’ to Korea’s foreign policy with his party’s longstanding anti-Japan streak," Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group, told Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Commerce announced “dual-use (civilian and military) export control measures” targeting Japan on Tuesday. The move was widely seen as the first step in controlling rare earth exports and as part of the same broader strategy.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.