Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Seoul was haunted by the shadow of the man who had visited just before him: U.S. President Trump. The back-to-back summits forced South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to confront the U.S.-China rivalry head-on, revealing the impossible position Seoul is in.
The U.S. “shadow” was present in the agenda. Lee was obligated to raise issues central to the U.S. alliance, including the 2017 THAAD missile system deployment, which infuriates China. He also brought up Chinese sanctions on a U.S.-linked firm, effectively asking Xi to address grievances tied to his main geopolitical rival.
This great-power tension played out as Lee was also managing domestic political theater. Hundreds of protesters rallied in Seoul against Chinese influence, a public relations nightmare for Lee as he tried to welcome President Xi. This domestic anger is a direct reaction to the balancing act Lee is attempting.
Lee’s own diplomatic initiative—a plea for Xi to help re-engage North Korea—was a casualty of the tense atmosphere. The request was immediately and publicly rejected by Pyongyang, which dismissed the effort as a “pipe dream,” leaving Lee with no progress on his top security priority.
China, for its part, tried to ignore the shadows. President Xi called for “mutual respect,” and his state media focused solely on the positive outcomes: seven new economic agreements, including a currency swap. But for Seoul, these economic wins couldn’t mask the dark geopolitical clouds gathering overhead.