Cheong Wa Dae announced on Wednesday evening that President Park Geun-hye would attend a military parade during her China visit, a decision that came after weeks of contemplation and reflecting on Seoul’s emphasis on bettering ties with Beijing.
Ahead of China’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Park will hold summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday upon her arrival in China for a three-day visit next week, the presidential office said.
On Thursday, Park plans to watch the huge military parade to be staged in Tiananmen Square before attending a luncheon reception to be hosted by Xi at the Great Hall of the People, it said.
Park’s decision is the latest in a series of moves that could highlight South Korea’s deepening ties with China, South Korea’s largest trade partner.
The trip will also take Park to Shanghai on Thursday to attend a ceremony to reopen a historic building that was used by Korea’s provisional government during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
The United States said Wednesday it respects South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s decision to attend China’s parade. The parade is seen as a show of force amid Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in territorial disputes with its neighbors.
“Participation in these events is the sovereign decision of each country. We respect the Republic of Korea’s decision,” a State Department spokesperson said.
In an apparent expression of unhappiness, the U.S. has decided to have its ambassador to China, Max Baucus, attend the ceremony, rather than sending a high-level official from Washington.
Park’s decision to attend the parade is unlikely to damage Seoul’s relations with Washington, though it could raise questions about where the country is going, U.S. experts said Wednesday.
“I do not believe Park’s attendance at the parade will have a big impact on U.S.-ROK relations, although it will raise questions among some foreign policy generalist opinion leaders about where Korea might ultimately be going,” said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
