2021 China–Manchuria summit
| 2021 China–Manchuria summit | |
|---|---|
| Host country |
 Korea |
| Date | December 14–18, 2021 |
| Venue(s) | Blue House, Jongno-gu, Seoul |
| Participants |
 China Manchuria |
The 2021 China–Manchuria summit or the Seoul summit was a series of meetings that were held in Seoul, Korea, from December 14 to 18, 2021, between representatives of China and Manchuria, hosted by Korean President Im Tae-joon. A meeting between Chinese and Manchurian diplomats was planned after the China–Sierra summit held in Alaska in March 2021, which saw progress made on negotiations related to the Sino–Manchurian conflict as the Kingdom of Sierra and its CAS allies have been backing the Manchurian position. After preliminary discussions in October and November of that year, a date of December 14–18 was agreed for the summit.
Background
Relations between Manchuria and China have remained tense since the 2014 annexation of Rehe Province by the Republic of China. The annexation resulted in an ongoing territorial dispute and military confrontation, as the majority of the League of Nations does not recognize the province as part of China. There were no significant contacts between the two governments between 2014 and 2019, until a meeting of foreign ministers in December 2019. They briefly discussed the security situation and measures to deescalate tensions, as well as the possibility of further negotiations. In March 2021, the summit meeting of Chinese and Sierran leaders in Anchorage, Alaska, included discussion about Manchuria as Sierra had troops stationed in the country as part of CAS Forces – Manchuria since 2014 and it was one of the causes of the downturn in China–Sierra relations. An informal agreement was reached to not allow Manchuria to become part of the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization, a military alliance in the Asia-Pacific that includes the Kingdom of Sierra, Japan, and others. The agreement caused backlash in both Manchuria, Sierra, and other Anglo-American countries against Sierran Prime Minister Susan Kwon's government.
The Anchorage summit was met with criticism in other countries, mainly Japan and India, in which both governments supported a second summit where Manchurian officials would attend to discuss their perspective while also requesting that they be allowed to send their own delegations if the territorial disputes and issues that both nations have with China are also present. In August, the second summit was announced and would take place in Seoul with the Korean government acting as a neutral moderator in regards to negotations between officials from both governments. The Chinese and Manchurian governments would agree to attend and began forming their delegations by September.
Delegations
Chinese
- Yan Xiuren, Premier
- Liu Jiaoren, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Ren Longyun, Secretary of the National Security Council
- Sun Weixin, Chinese Ambassador to Korea
Manchurian
- Yu Qiang, Prime Minister
- Raoguo Jixu, Leader of the Zuigaohuiyi
- Jin Yulan, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Issues on the agenda
- Militarization of the China–Manchuria border
- Status and dispute over Rehe Province
- Maritime borders and disputes between China and Manchuria
- Expansion of the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization
- Immigration between China and Manchuria
- Involvement of the Conference of American States
Summit meetings
Aftermath and reactions
The summit ended with negotations concluding in a disappointing stalemate as neither side was willing to give in or concede to the other over the issue of Rehe and its political status. The Manchurian delegation had stated its intent to back a refernedum on Rehe's status and that the government would still support it despite the disappointing conclusion of the summit. President Liu Zhou said that the summit was "necessary and tragic in its conclusion" and stated that her government was willing to seek further negotiations and that she hoped that the Chinese government would also seek further diplomatic talks. The Progressive Alliance for Manchuria, the main coalition within Manchuria's Duel Government Agreement, has also reiterated its support for a Rehe status referendum calling it the most pragmatic option to deal with the dispute.
In China, the summit became a source of controversy and has become a frequently discussed topic on the campaign for the 2022 Chinese legislative election schedueled for January 7. President Zhao Meijin stated that he would personally look into future negotiations, but that he had to wait until the next legislative election has taken place before taking any further action. The Democratic Progressive Party had called the summit a disapointment and said that it "has significantly set back Sino–Manchurian reconciliation" and called on a new summit to be held. Other parties, the Green Party of China and Democratic Party of Socialists, have also backed a new summit with the latter supporting a referendum in Rehe on its status seeking to support self-determination.