Japan’s ‘economic sanctions’ against South Korea will backfire: Chinese ambassador to Seoul

Qiu Guohong says Tokyo will ‘suffer damage’ from its decision to curb exports of key materials to Seoul, in an apparent reference to the US-China trade war

South Korea has upped the ante by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation about the dispute

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Qiu Guohong, China's ambassador to South Korea. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:43pm, 11 Sep 2019Updated: 10:57pm, 11 Sep 2019

Qiu Guohong, China’s ambassador to South Korea, on Wednesday said Japan’s “economic sanctions” against South Korea would backfire and would have to be retracted, “as other countries will have to do” – an apparent reference to the US-China trade war.

Speaking at a forum in Incheon arranged by the Saeul Foundation of Culture, Qiu said Tokyo’s trade moves would founder amid a lack of international support as Seoul upped the ante by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about the trade dispute.

There was no incidence in modern history where economic sanctions have brought a country to its knees

Qiu Guohong

“There was no incidence in modern history where economic sanctions have brought a country to its knees,” he said.

“Since the Korean people have a strong sense of self-respect and they are strong-willed people, it won’t be successful for [Japanese] Prime Minister Abe to impose economic sanctions in connection with [historical issues],” Qiu was quoted as saying by local media in response to a question from a panellist.

Such economic retaliations would be neither effective nor secure international backing, he said.

“Japan will also suffer damage from this move and it will have to retract it in the end as other countries will have to do,” he said, in an apparent reference to the United States, with which China is engaged in a trade dispute that shows no signs of abating.