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| Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaks during her visit to Jakarta in this May 31 photo. She is scheduled to visit South Korea from July 21 to 23. Reuters-Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s planned visit to South Korea next week is more likely to focus on strengthening and evolving the two countries alliance as part of Washington’s campaign to curb China’s sprawling power, rather than discussing North Korea’s nuclear program, diplomatic observers here said Friday.
According to the foreign ministry, Sherman is scheduled to travel to Seoul from July 21 to 23 and will hold vice foreign ministerial strategic talks with First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun on the last day of her trip. She also plans to visit Japan for trilateral vice foreign ministerial talks that will include Japanese vice foreign minister Takeo Mori.
Following her stops in South Korea and Japan, Sherman will travel to Mongolia. She had been widely expected to visit China as well, but the State Department’s announcement on her Asia visit Thursday (local time) did not include this.
“Given her itinerary, Sherman’s visit to South Korea as well as Japan is likely to center on bolstering its alliances with the two countries in its competition against China. During her tour to U.S.-aligned nations, the China issue will be high on the agenda,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Woman’s University.
“As respective summits with South Korea and Japan earlier focused pn China-related issues, she will confirm the procedure for each country implementing their agreements.”
Kim Yeoul-soo, chief of the Security Strategy Office at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said, “Sherman’s visit is likely to have to do with collaborating on emerging technologies and South Korea joining the quadrilateral security dialogue (Quad), both of which are aimed at containing Beijing.
“In particular, the Joe Biden administration is stressing the importance of building technology alliances and partnerships with its allies, as evidenced by its National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s direct involvement in the issue,” Kim said.
The Quad, comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., is a strategic forum, largely regarded as a means to contain China. Due to Beijing being Seoul’s largest trading partner, Korea has been averse to accepting the U.S.’s repeated calls to join it, but during a May 21 summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Biden, they jointly acknowledged the importance of open, transparent, and inclusive regional multilateralism, including the Quad.
Although it is expected to take a back seat to the China issue, Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons could also be on the table, the experts added.
“As North Korea is calling for the suspension of the combined military exercise between South Korea and the U.S., and it may stage a provocation to protest the drill, the three countries are expected to discuss how to deal with this possible scenario,” Park said.
US deputy state secretary’s visit to focus on China-curbing alliance
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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