Washington:<Text>
U.S. President Donald Trump could raise a "sensitive" China-related topic in the upcoming summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, an expert said Thursday, noting that Washington wants U.S. allies to be "firmly aligned" against an assertive China amid an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ellen Kim, director of academic programs at the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), made the remarks during a press meeting, as the Trump administration is striving to secure increased security "burden-sharing" by allies amid its sharper focus on deterring the "pacing threat" from China. Lee and Trump are scheduled to have their first in-person meeting at the White House on Monday, as Seoul prioritizes the treaty alliance with Washington while seeking stable ties with Beijing under Lee's "pragmatic" diplomatic policy.
"President Trump's unpredictability is well known. So that means we cannot ru le out the possibility that he might ask President Lee about the China case," Kim said. "I think that South Korea also understands that possibility, and may be well prepared." She noted that the Lee administration's "pragmatic" approach to enhance ties with China would be "very tricky" as the strategic competition between Washington and Beijing continues to harden.
"The Lee government wants to keep some distance away from the previous Yoon (Suk Yeol) government's stance ... to leave some room for South Korea to improve relations with Beijing, hopefully without creating a perception in Washington that South Korea is tilting toward China again," she said, pointing out that the allies are currently "at odds" over sensitive China issues.
The issue surrounding Washington's pursuit of greater "strategic flexibility" for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in the name of "alliance modernization" would be another potential summit issue that could draw Beijing's attention. Gr eater strategic flexibility would mean the use of U.S. troops in South Korea for a wider range of operations outside the Korean Peninsula, including potential roles for China-related contingencies -- a move farther away from their traditional focus on deterring North Korean threats.
Seoul and Washington already issued a joint statement on strategic flexibility in 2006, which presented their understanding of the geopolitically sensitive issue. The statement said that South Korea respects the "necessity" for USFK strategic flexibility, while the U.S. respects Seoul's position that it will not be involved in a regional conflict in Northeast Asia against the will of the Korean people.
Kim raised doubts over the possibility of a change in the statement. The issue of strategic flexibility emerged as Trump has touted his "great" relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping while his administration tries to finalize a trade deal with the Asian superpower. "I don't know whether th e U.S. and South Korea will try to change any wording on the strategic flexibility not because of South Korea's opposition, but also because the U.S. might not unnecessarily provoke China at this point," she said.
"It is possible that I think they might continue that language although there could be some additional discussions behind the scenes between the two countries." Scott Snyder, president and CEO at the KEI, said that the Lee-Trump summit will be an opportunity to "reset" South Korea's role and status in Trump's "hierarchy," as he noted South Korea's apparently "diminished" influence under the Trump administration considering various indicators, including the fact that no close Trump associate or prominent figure has been appointed as U.S. ambassador to Korea.
He also warned that "perceptions that the U.S. is off-loading responsibilities for South Korea's defense against North Korea or failing to closely coordinate diplomatic openings to the North may lessen South Ko rea's commitments to the U.S." "South Korea's ability and willingness to be a valuable partner to the U.S. are based on the past credibility of U.S. security assurances, including shared regional security threats and common values," he said.
"This would be the wrong moment for the U.S. to take South Korea for granted or to send signals that demean the value of that partnership, especially as South Korea retains the capacity and (the) will to sustain the partnership against a whole range of common external threats."