{"id":129660,"date":"2012-01-10T00:30:30","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T07:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=129660"},"modified":"2012-01-10T00:30:30","modified_gmt":"2012-01-10T07:30:30","slug":"china-balances-ties-on-korean-peninsula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2012\/01\/china-balances-ties-on-korean-peninsula\/","title":{"rendered":"China Balances Ties on Korean Peninsula"},"content":{"rendered":"
As North Korea held a military rally<\/a> to show support for its new leader on Monday, Chinese President Hu Jintao\u00a0welcomed his South Korean counterpart to Beijing<\/a><\/strong> in their first summit since Kim Jong-Il’s death. From The Washington Post:<\/p>\n While North Korea is often a topic when Chinese and South Korean leaders meet, the death of its leader last month pushed it to the center of the summit, which was to have focused on mending frayed relations over Chinese fishing fleet incursions in South Korean waters and Beijing\u2019s support for Pyongyang.<\/p>\n South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao exchanged \u201ccandid views on the situation on the Korean peninsula which has recently faced a crucial moment\u201d and agreed to work together to achieve peace and stability there, South Korea\u2019s presidential Blue House said in a statement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The three-day visit will include a meeting<\/a> between China and South Korea’s nuclear envoys and initial discussions about a potential free trade agreement,\u00a0though divisions on the Korean peninsula have taken top priority.\u00a0On the eve of the summit, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin reaffirmed the government’s commitment<\/a> to developing friendly ties with the North Korean regime, part of a comprehensive effort by China to\u00a0guide both sides towards stable footing. The balancing act reflects a growing wariness from South Korea and other neighbors in the region<\/a><\/strong> over China’s intentions, according to Reuters:<\/p>\n “Particularly with China’s rapid development altering the relative balance of power between the two sides, problems have arisen in Chinese-South Korean relations that need urgent attention,” said the overseas edition of the People’s Daily, the official paper of China’s ruling Communist Party.<\/p>\n “Above all there is the problem of mutual political trust,” said a front-page commentary in the paper by Zhang Liangui, a prominent Chinese expert on Korean affairs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n