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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the US this week marked the 70th anniversary of the alliance between Seoul and Washington. Photo: Reuters

China summons South Korean diplomat over statement by Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden on Taiwan, South China Sea

  • Beijing expresses ‘strong dissatisfaction’ after Seoul and Washington reaffirm support for status quo in hot-button disputes
  • Chinese foreign ministry official stresses one-China principle in meeting with South Korean embassy minister
Taiwan

Beijing summoned a senior diplomat from South Korea late on Thursday, expressing “strong dissatisfaction” over the country’s joint statement with the United States targeting China in the Indo-Pacific.

In a meeting with South Korean embassy minister Kang Sang-wook, Liu Jinsong, director of Asian affairs at the Chinese foreign ministry, stressed Beijing’s stance on issues including Taiwan and urged Seoul to adhere to the one-China principle, according to the foreign ministry.

The meeting came after the US and South Korea released a statement highlighting their commitment to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

The statement – released during South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to the US this week – said Yoon and his US counterpart Joe Biden strongly opposed “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific”.
According to the White House, they also reiterated the “importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the region” and reaffirmed their commitment to preserving the “unimpeded commerce, freedom of navigation and overflight, and other lawful use of the sea, including in the South China Sea and beyond”.

Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. Most countries – including South Korea and its major ally the US – do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, but are opposed to any forcible change in the status quo.

Beijing also claims much of the South China Sea and has territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei over the contested waters. Beijing is pushing for talks on a code of conduct to maintain stability in the region.

Ma Jianying, director of the Centre for Maritime Security Studies at Shandong Normal University, said the statement’s references to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo were obviously aimed at China.

“This is a blatant intervention into the Taiwan issue, which is an internal affair of China. This could never be accepted by the Chinese side,” he said.

Beijing and Seoul have been locked in a war of words since Yoon told Reuters last week 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”.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hit back by saying the two issues were “completely different and not comparable at all”, remarks that Seoul said amounted to a “serious diplomatic discourtesy”.
Sun Weidong, China’s foreign vice-minister, then summoned South Korean ambassador Chung Jae-ho to lodge “solemn representations”, calling Yoon’s remarks “erroneous” and “totally unacceptable”.

Ties between South Korea and the US have become closer during Yoon’s administration, with the joint statement describing the two countries as “inseparably tied by our deep and unwavering security cooperation” and pledging to “increase comprehensive global cooperation”.

With increasing nuclear threats from North Korea, Yoon and Biden also called for efforts to conclude a Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement and stressed that Pyongyang’s nuclear tests would be met with “strong and resolute” international deterrence.

Seoul and Washington reaffirmed a “nuclear umbrella” to protect South Korea from threats from the North. They also promised to deploy US strategic assets – such as bombers and aircraft carriers – to the Korean peninsula more regularly, according to a joint declaration issued during Yoon’s visit.

The statement triggered strong protest from Beijing, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning denouncing the moves.

“The United States has put regional security at risk and intentionally used the issue of the [Korean] peninsula as an excuse to create tension,” Mao said on Thursday.

Ma, the Chinese maritime expert, said: “As long as the nuclear issue and threats in the Korean peninsula cannot be solved, [South] Korea has to side with the United States to contend with the threats from North Korea.”

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