As South Korean President Lee Jae-myung wrapped up his four-day state visit to China seeking expanded trade, experts warned that Beijing is likely to use the engagement to pilfer critical technologies and subvert Seoul’s trilateral defense coordination with Washington and Tokyo.
Lee said on Jan. 8 that he had laid the groundwork for fully restoring ties with Beijing, according to The Korea Times.
The trip, which began on Jan. 4, was the first by a South Korean leader since 2017 and follows Lee’s summit meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in October.
The visit comes as Seoul seeks to lift restrictions on K-dramas and K-pop artists imposed by Beijing after the 2016 deployment of the United States’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system in South Korea….
Beijing Struggles to Distance Seoul From US-Led Security Alliance: Analysts
