South Korea pivots to ‘hard-line stance’ on China as Yoon questions envoy’s comments

The South Korean president reportedly said on Tuesday that he doubted whether China’s ambassador, Xing Haiming, ‘has an attitude of mutual respect’
It comes as local media reported that Seoul was pivoting to a ‘hard-line stance’ in its China ties in response to Beijing’s ‘high-handed’ rhetoric

South Korea

ReutersandBloomberg

Published: 3:33pm, 13 Jun 2023

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Tuesday that he was doubtful whether China’s ambassador had an attitude of mutual respect, as local media reported that South Korea is pivoting towards a “hard-line stance” in its relations with Beijing.

Yoon made the comment during a cabinet meeting after the Chinese envoy had warned Seoul against making “wrong bets” in the China-US rivalry, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing multiple people who attended the session.

Last week, Seoul’s foreign ministry summoned the ambassador, Xing Haiming, after he blamed South Korea for worsening bilateral ties due to the United States’ influence and urged the country to stop “decoupling” from China.

“Looking at Ambassador Xing’s attitude, it’s doubtful if he has an attitude of mutual respect or promotion of friendship as a diplomat,” Yoon was quoted by Yonhap as telling the meeting. “Our people are displeased with his inappropriate behaviour.”

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming (right) shakes hands with South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung before their dinner meeting last week, after which Xing was summoned by Seoul’s foreign ministry. Photo: Yonhap via AP

South Korea’s Dong-a newspaper reported on Tuesday that Seoul was pivoting to a “hard-line stance” in its relations with China following meetings between the two where Beijing used “high-handed” diplomatic rhetoric, citing a “key” government official.

Seoul will seek to reduce dependence on China’s supply chains and if needed could change how South Korea defines the “three nos” security understanding with China, Dong-a reported, citing the South Korean official it did not name. Relations between the two have deteriorated due to China’s “absurd” remarks and it’s difficult to pursue common values unless China respects South Korea, the newspaper reported the official as saying.

The South Korean government plans to “de-risk” from its reliance on Chinese goods, such as battery materials, the newspaper reported, emphasising that it wasn’t to the extent of completely decoupling from the world’s second-largest economy.

The report is the latest in a recent diplomatic back-and-forth between the two countries, which saw a downfall in ties in 2017. China at that time objected to South Korea deploying the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile shield over concerns its powerful radar would allow spying on China’s missile systems.

‘Reflect deeply’: China summons South Korean envoy in tit-for-tat move

Then President Moon Jae-in ameliorated Beijing’s anger by pledging the “three nos” of no new THAAD deployments, no participation in a US missile defence network and no transformation of security cooperation among the US, Japan and South Korea into a military alliance.

Xing, the Chinese ambassador, this month told South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung that he would be grateful if the government of current President Yoon freed itself from external factors when dealing with China, likely a reference to Seoul’s deepening ties with the US. Chang Ho-jin, South Korea’s first foreign vice-minister, summoned Xing the following day to issue a stern warning over the remarks it deemed provocative and interfering in the county’s domestic politics.

On Saturday, China responded, expressing “grave concerns and dissatisfaction” over Seoul’s comments, speaking in a meeting with South Korean Ambassador Chung Jae-ho, according to a statement from the Beijing government. The statement also said China’s leadership hopes South Korea will reflect on current issues in their bilateral relationship and take them seriously.

When asked about the situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the current challenges in China-South Korea relations were “not caused by China”.

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South Korea is waiting for appropriate measures from China over the ambassador’s remark, Yonhap said in a separate report, citing an unidentified official in Yoon’s office.

Yoon is caught between the US, his country’s main security ally, and China, South Korea’s biggest trading partner. He’s shown support for calls from Joe Biden’s administration to restructure global supply chains to reduce dependence on China, drawing criticism from Beijing.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for boosting cooperation in hi-tech manufacturing and working together to maintain a global free-trade system that ensures the security of supply chains.

The US has applied pressure to allies including South Korea to comply with its sweeping curbs on the sale of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China, where major South Korean semiconductor makers such as SK Hynix Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. operate facilities.