'Guanxi'

President Park Geun-hye, right, listens to Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan, second from left, talk about a porcelain jar with which she was presented during a lunch meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing. In return, Park gave Xi a traditional red lacquer square box and a tea cup set. / Yonhap

Park-Xi links to affect NK issue, US alliance

By Kim Tae-gyu

BEIJING ― During Park’s ongoing state visit, President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping are strengthening their “guanxi.”

This is a Chinese term for connections that can make or break business deals, people’s fortunes or even changes in international politics.

The Park-Xi connections might have an effect on the North Korean nuclear challenge to the Seoul-Washington alliance.

Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan Friday hosted a luncheon for Park, an occasion that Cheong Wa Dae described as “rare treatment.”

China’s Foreign Ministry referred to Park as an “old friend” during a briefing ahead of Park’s state visit. Park and Xi met for the first time in 2005 in Seoul.

Pyongyang should have a lot to worry about not just regarding the strengthened ties of the two leaders but also the fact that Xi is a complete departure from his predecessors who regarded the North as a comrade in arms.

Of course, the North holds strategic significance for China but the relationship between the two nations might no longer be so close and be focused strictly on business.

This alone could influence the dynamics between China, the U.S. the South and other interested nations over the issue of North Korea.

During the post-summit news conference Thursday, Park and Xi chatted like old friends.

At the summit, Park quoted Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, while Xi made reference to a ninth-century Korean scholar, Choi Chi-won.

On the first day of Park’s visit, the two held talks and followed this with a news conference.

During a state dinner Thursday, a popular Korean song “Spring of Hometown” was performed. Park smiled because this was one of the favorite songs of her deceased mother, her role model.

“It is very rare for the leaders of two countries to have lunch together just a day after they had dinner. In fact, the luncheon was originally not scheduled, but China asked for it just before Park’s departure,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said.

“In terms of the number of guards and other diplomatic protocols, China offered unexpected additional treatment,” Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told reporters.

The Park-Xi connections defy western media’s assessment that Xi and Park differ over how to deal with the North ― Xi calling for a resumption to the six-party talks at the earliest date and Park stated that the North’s nuclear programs are unacceptable.

Oftentimes, one change leads to another in international diplomacy.

Meanwhile, observers point out that Park’s unconventional itinerary had something to do with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping who studied at Tsinghua and stayed near Xian almost a decade.

“While Beijing University is more about humanities and social studies, Tsinghua University is about science and technologies. Park’s educational background of having studied electronic engineering was factored in,” an aide of Park said.

“In addition, we also took into consideration the fact that Xi studied at Tsinghua. Liu Yandong, one of China’s foremost future leaders who participated in Park’s inauguration ceremony as a Chinese representative, studied at the university, too.”

Xian is also a special place for Xi because his father was born near the city and he was sent to the countryside near the old capital for seven years during the Cultural Revolution.