South Korea swings closer to Beijing

Since an unexpected détente between Beijing and Seoul at the end of October, South Korea has continued to seek closer relations with China. Here’s the latest:

• South Korean President Moon Jae-in has agreed to visit Beijing in December, Bloomberg reports, noting that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s proposal to also meet with President Xi Jinping was left unanswered. Moon and Xi met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam.
• The “two countries will strengthen strategic talks on all levels” and “quickly normalize bilateral exchanges in all sectors,” according to a South Korean presidential spokesman, per Reuters.
• Moon and Xi also “agreed on the need to manage the security situation on the Korean peninsula in a stable way” after Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un “exchanged war-like threats and insults,” raising tensions last month, Reuters reports.
• The South Korean military may also be pivoting toward Beijing, the Nikkei Asian Review finds (paywall), as it “rejected a U.S. proposal to conduct a trilateral military exercise that would have included participation from Japan…possibly out of concern for relations with China.”
• Moon hopes that the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea can be the “peace olympics,” Nikkei further notes (paywall), and has invited Xi to attend. He “aims to have Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the opening ceremony of the Games — now less than 100 days away — and use this as leverage to persuade North Korea to participate.”
• A Chinese marketing campaign featuring a South Korean actress further indicates the warming of relations, Reuters reports.

• Japan
  Abe hails ‘fresh start’ to Japan-China ties after Xi meeting / Reuters
  Improving China-Japan relations main aim for Li Keqiang, Shinzo Abe at Manila talks / SCMP
• Trump, Xi, and Southeast Asia
  ‘Better left untouched’: Philippines and Vietnam wary of Trump offer to mediate South China Sea disputes / SCMP
  Chinese President Xi makes state visit to Vietnam / AP
  ASEAN, China agree to start talks on South China Sea code of conduct / The Philippine Star
• Wang Huning
  Behind the scenes, communist strategist presses China’s rise / NYT (paywall)
• Censorship in Australia
  Free speech fears after book critical of China is pulled from publication / The Age
• India
  India, China look to ASEAN summit to improve ties after Doklam stand-off / Hindustan Times
• Taiwan
  Japan‘s Abe meets Taiwan envoy hours after Xi warning / Bloomberg
• Human rights
  Rights activist Tang Jitian barred from leaving China to seek medical treatment / Hong Kong Free Press