Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan plans to attend the inauguration of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol next week, the Yoon delegation announced on Friday, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the region.
Wang’s planned arrival comes as Yoon has vowed to strengthen the South Korean-United States alliance in the face of growing nuclear threats and missiles from North Korea, and as Washington pushes to retain Beijing’s growing influence. The United States is sending second-in-command Douglas Emhoff as head of the delegation to the event, scheduled for Tuesday in Seoul, according to the presidential delegation.
Top foreign and security officials were not included in the U.S. team. President Joe Biden plans to visit Seoul next week to discuss Yoon. In Japan, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will attend the inauguration, and Tokyo is expected to send a high-level official, the presidential reform team said, adding that the process has not yet been completed.
Yoon is taking the lead among many challenges, with North Korea testing weapons before his inauguration. On Wednesday, North Korea fired a missile aimed at the sea along its east coast in its 14th annual test of the year, after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to improve it, the world’s nuclear forces “as fast as possible.”
