The joint statement issued at the end of his visit ran to nearly 3,000 words but did not mention China. That reflects South Korea’s wariness of antagonising its largest trading partner
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskBeyond the congratulatory gesture, the gift alluded to America’s responsibilities as South Korea’s oldest ally and defender against the nuclear-armed dictatorship to the north. It set the tone for Mr Biden’s visit, during which he and Mr Yoon vowed to expand their countries’ military co-operation, strengthen deterrence against North Korea and work together on a host of other issues from supply-chain resilience to space exploration.
The commitment to more deterrence was put to the test soon after Mr Biden left Japan, the second stop on his trip. On May 25th North Korea launched three missiles off its east coast. South Korea’s armed forces said one of them was likely to have been an intercontinental ballistic missile, which America regards as particularly provocative. Such weapons may be capable of hitting its own shores.
The show of strength echoed the general tone of Mr Biden’s visit. Earlier in the week the president had made headlines with an offhand remark, quickly walked back, about how America might get involved militarily shouldbe invaded. Big items on the agenda aimed to assure allies of America’s commitment to countering China’s increasing heft in the region.
Yet when it came to South Korea’s relationship with China, Mr Biden trod more carefully. The joint statement he and Mr Yoon issued at the end of his visit ran to nearly 3,000 words but did not mention China. That reflects South Korea’s wariness of antagonising its largest trading partner. Memories are still fresh of China’s economic boycott of South Korea following the deployment of an American missile-defence system there in 2017.
For South Korea, diversifying supply chains by building trade links with other Asian countries might reduce China’s ability to hold it to ransom. So might an American commitment to step in with economic assistance should a situation like that in 2017 repeat itself. Mr Biden is right that the best way to counter China is to reassure allies in the region of America’s reliability. But in certain places, if not others, such assurances may be best uttered quietly.
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