Top China official wants high-tech cooperation with S. Korea – Independent Record
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
FILE – Chairman of National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu poses for a photo prior to the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sideline of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sept. 7, 2022. Li was set to meet South Korean leaders including new President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 as Yoon’s push to buttress a military alliance with Washington has caused concerns that it could hamper Seoul’s ties with Beijing.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu speaks during a joint news conference with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo leave after a joint news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, shakes hands with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo during a joint news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, speaks during a joint news conference with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, third from left, talks with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, second from right, at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The head of China’s legislature called for cooperation with South Korea in advanced technology and supply chains, as he met South Korean leaders Friday amid concerns that their moves to solidify a military alliance with Washington could hamper Seoul’s ties with Beijing.
Li Zhanshu, third in the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy and one of President Xi Jinping’s closest confidants, is the highest-level Chinese official to visit South Korea since his predecessor did so in 2015. His trip is seen as part of efforts by Beijing to boost ties with neighboring countries ahead of a Communist Party congress next month that will likely grant Xi a third five-year term as leader.
Li’s visit is also crucial for South Korea’s government, which wants to assure Beijing that its push to strengthen its alliance with the U.S. and participate in U.S.-led regional initiatives won’t target China, its biggest trading partner.
Li, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, told a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart that China supports “realizing cooperation in cutting-edge technology sectors and managing supply and industrial chains smoothly and stably.”
He didn’t elaborate. His comments are likely to reflect concerns in Beijing that its intensifying competition with the United States may lead to supply chain disruptions as some U.S. companies shift sourcing and production away from China. China also opposes South Korea’s possible participation in a U.S.-led semiconductor alliance involving Taiwan and Japan.
Li’s closeness to Xi suggests his comments reflect the thinking of Xi and his inner circle. Li, who is leading a 66-member Chinese delegation to South Korea, met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and other top officials later Friday.
Earlier this month, Li visited Russia, where he decried international sanctions against Moscow, underscoring Beijing support for Russia in its war on Ukraine despite claims of neutrality. On Thursday, Xi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Uzbekistan. Putin thanked Xi for his “balanced” approach to the Ukrainian crisis and blasted Washington’s “ugly” policies.
Li’s talks with Yoon have drawn keen attention because Yoon last month skipped an in-person meeting with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who visited Seoul after a trip to Taiwan that angered China, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory. Yoon, who was on vacation, spoke by phone with Pelosi but faced domestic criticism that he had intentionally shunned her so as not to provoke China. Yoon was the only head of government who didn’t meet Pelosi face-to-face during her Asian trip, which also included Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
Kim Heung-kyu, director of the U.S.-China Policy Institute at Ajou University in South Korea, said Li’s visit is different from Pelosi’s because she arrived after her contentious Taiwan trip. But he said China would still likely see symbolic significance in Li meeting with a South Korean president whom Pelosi failed to meet.
Some worry that Yoon’s tilt toward Washington could trigger economic retaliation by China, as it did in 2017 when South Korea allowed the United States to base a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense radar system, or THAAD, on its soil. China, which says the radar can spy on its territory, suspended group tours to South Korea and conducted an unofficial boycott of South Korean products.
During their meeting, Yoon said the THAAD issue must not be a sticking point in bilateral ties, and Li agreed on the need for close coordination to resolve sensitive issues, according to Yoon’s office.
China is likely to be more cautious about launching another economic retaliation because it would push South Korea closer to the United States and worsen anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea, according to Professor Kim Han-kwon of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
“In the case of the THAAD dispute, China shook public opinion in South Korea and caused South Korea to suffer economic losses,” he said. “But eventually, they failed to get THAAD scrapped and anti-China sentiment grew in South Korea. There was also a public reevaluation of a boosting of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and of South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation.”
South Korea, the world’s 10th-largest economy, is a major supplier of semiconductors, automobiles, smartphones and other electronic products. This makes it an attractive partner to both the United States and China.
Unless South Korea “openly pursues an anti-China policy, China will likely continue to stress a message of amity and cooperation with South Korea, rather than pressure, conflict and confrontation,” said Kim, the institute director.
Cooperative relations with China are essential in efforts by Seoul and Washington to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear program. While there are questions about how much influence China has on North Korea, it’s still believed to have the greatest leverage among regional powers because it is North Korea’s last major diplomatic ally and main economic pipeline.
In his meeting with Li on Friday, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo said South Korea hopes that China will play a constructive role with North Korea. Li said he and Kim agreed that establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue would serve the interests of both nations.
Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Taliban’s defense ministry says at least three crew members were killed when the U.S.-manufactured Black Hawk helicopter they were flying crashed. The statement Saturday said that five others were wounded in the accident during a training session overseen by Afghanistan’s defense ministry at the capital of Kabul. It is not known how many U.S. choppers remain in the hands of the Taliban government. As the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed in mid-August last year, dozens of Afghan pilots fled to Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
When it came time to showcase its electric Chevrolet Equinox SUV to the public this year, General Motors decided against doing so at the big Detroit auto show, as it typically would have done in the past. Instead, it unveiled the Equinox six days earlier. GM’s decision symbolized just how much smaller this year’s auto show will be, with few new model debuts, less-glitzy displays, fewer journalists and possibly lower attendance. Though the pandemic is partly to blame, larger forces are at play, too: Automakers have figured out that new models can make a bigger splash when they’re unveiled to a digital audience on a day where they don’t have to share the spotlight with their rivals.
A growing number of American shoppers have jumped at the chance to use “buy now, pay later” loans to pay for new sneakers, electronics, or luxury goods in installments. Companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and PayPal have built popular financial products around these short-term loans, particularly for younger borrowers, who are fearful of never-ending credit card debt. But as the industry continues to rack up customers, delinquencies are climbing. Inflation is squeezing consumers, making it tougher to pay off debts. Some borrowers don’t budget properly, particularly if they are persuaded to take out multiple loans, while others may have been credit risks to begin with.
One of the European Union’s highest courts has largely upheld a huge fine issued to Google by the bloc’s antitrust enforcers in 2018 over its Android mobile operating system. The European Court of Justice’s General Court on Wednesday mostly confirmed a European Commission decision to slap Google with a fine of more than 4 billion euros for stifling competition through the dominance of Android. The court said it was appropriate to give Google a fine of 4.125 billion euros, slightly lower than the original 4.34 billion euro penalty.
A global search for alternative sources to Russian energy during the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power stations. Proponents say they could provide a cheaper, more efficient alternative to older model mega-plants. U.K.-based Rolls-Royce SMR says its small modular reactors, or SMRs, are cheaper and quicker to get running than standard plants, delivering the kind of energy security that many nations are seeking. But the reactors are many years away from operating and cannot solve the energy crisis now hitting Europe. Nuclear power also poses risks, including disposing of highly radioactive waste and keeping that technology out of the hands of rogue countries that may pursue a nuclear weapons program.
South Korea’s privacy watchdog has fined Google and Meta a combined 100 billion won ($72 million) for tracking consumers’ online behavior without their consent and using their data for targeted advertisements. The Personal Information and Protection Commission said it fined Google 69.2 billion won ($50 million) and Meta 30.8 billion won ($22 million) after a meeting where officials agreed that companies’ business practices might cause “serious” privacy infringements. The commission ordered the companies to provide an “easy and clear” process of consent giving people more control over whether to share information about what they do online.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says a $15 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant by Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker Micron in its hometown is a step in protecting the United States from the vulnerabilities of a globalized market made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Granholm took part Monday in a ceremonial groundbreaking for what is expected to be the largest chipmaking cleanroom in the United States by the end of the decade, covering 600,000 square feet and creating 17,000 American jobs. It’s the largest ever private investment in the state, made possible by last month’s CHIPS and Science Act setting aside $52 billion for the industry.
Samsung Electronics says it’s shifting away from fossil fuels and aiming to entirely power its global operations with clean electricity by 2050. That’s a challenging goal that experts say could be hampered by South Korea’s own modest climate change commitments. South Korea-based Samsung is a top producer of computer memory chips and smartphones and, by some estimates, the biggest energy consumer among hundreds of global companies that have joined the “RE100” campaign to get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. Samsung’s plan drew praise from investors but some also expressed concern that the company’s announcement Thursday came at a time when South Korea is dialing back on its climate targets.
A major software change to the cryptocurrency ethereum holds the potential to dramatically reduce its energy consumption and resulting climate effects. Ethereum — the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency after bitcoin — has effectively eliminated the energy-intensive task of “mining” new coins on the ethereum blockchain. Mining requires enormous computing power, which translates to huge energy consumption and, in many areas, greater greenhouse gas emissions. By itself, however, the ethereum change won’t eliminate crypto’s expected environmental impact. Backers of bitcoin, for instance, have shown little interest in doing away with mining, fearing that the alternative could open the door to government regulation and control.
FILE – Chairman of National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu poses for a photo prior to the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sideline of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sept. 7, 2022. Li was set to meet South Korean leaders including new President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 as Yoon’s push to buttress a military alliance with Washington has caused concerns that it could hamper Seoul’s ties with Beijing.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu speaks during a joint news conference with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo leave after a joint news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, shakes hands with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo during a joint news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, left, speaks during a joint news conference with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, third from left, talks with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, second from right, at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.