China's Third-Ranked Official To Visit Seoul This Month

Chief of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and China's de facto number three official Li Zhanshu will visit Seoul this month, sources told Yonhap News agency today.

• Li will reportedly visit South Korea at the invitation of Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to commemorate the 30th anniversary of establishing bilateral diplomatic relations. There is speculation that Li could use this opportunity to discuss the possibility of a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea.
• South Korean President Yoon has repeatedly expressed his hopes for a face-to-face summit with the Chinese leader but so far there has been no agreement on the time and location.
• While some had expected Yoon to take a more assertive stance towards China, his decision to skip a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Pelosi during her recent East Asia trip (which included a stopover in Taiwan) has been interpreted as an attempt to avoid angering Beijing.
• Across the Yellow Sea, PRC authorities have seemingly launched efforts to engage with key U.S. allies in the region at the most senior level. A few days back, Japanese Foreign Minister said he was working with Beijing to arrange a summit between President Xi and Prime Minister Kishida.