South Korea hits back at China’s ‘rude’ retort in war of words over Taiwan
- Seoul summons Chinese ambassador to complain about ‘serious diplomatic discourtesy’
- Row centres on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s suggestion the self-ruled island is a ‘global issue’
The protest was in response to the Chinese foreign ministry’s “rude” reaction to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s statement on Wednesday that Taiwan “is a global issue”.
“In response to our leader’s mention of the universal principle that we oppose the change of the status quo [of Taiwan] by force … [Wang] made an unspeakable statement,” the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.
Chang said China should make efforts to clear unnecessary obstacles to bilateral relations brought by this incident.
But Beijing doubled down on Friday, saying the South Korean foreign ministry’s comments were “erroneous” and China had lodged its own concerns on the issue.
“The political foundation of Sino-South Korean relations requires the South Korean side to abide by the spirit of the joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, and be cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue,” Wang said.
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The row began when Yoon said in an interview with Reuters that the “Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue”.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to take control of the self-ruled island. Most countries do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but are opposed to any forceful change in the status quo.
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Wang hit back on Thursday, saying the Korean peninsula issue and the Taiwan issue were “completely different and not comparable at all, and this is a well-known fact”.
Wang said North and South Korea were sovereign states while Taiwan was not.
“There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory,” Wang said.
“The Taiwan issue is purely China’s internal affair and the core of China’s core interests. The resolution of the Taiwan issue is the Chinese people’s own business, which should not be interfered with by others.”
Wang called on Seoul to “abide by the one-China principle and handle the Taiwan issue prudently”.
Wang blamed separatist activities “supported and connived by foreign forces” as the cause of the tension in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, and warned against “Taiwan independence separatists” and “external interference”.
