Northeast Asia’s geopolitics shiftBy Jason Lee 李昭賢Beijing’s choice of representative to attend the inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday provides a fascinating insight into the shifting sands of Northeast Asian geopolitics. On Saturday last week, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) announced that Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山) was to attend the inauguration ceremony on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). For the inauguration of former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak in 2008, then-Chinese state councilor Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) attended. In 2003, then-Chinese vice premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) attended the inauguration of former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun. The situation in Northeast Asia, already tense, might be about to worsen significantly: China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the US might be gearing up for a six-way tug-of-war competition.
