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Moon Jae-in says South Korea will not take sides in US-China rivalry, focuses on Xi Jinping’s visit
- The South Korean president said relations with China and with the US are ‘equally important’
- China’s cooperation was also crucial for promoting peace on the Korean peninsula, given that it is North Korea’s closest ally
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday underscored the importance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the country, making clear that Seoul would not naturally take the side of its traditional ally Washington in its rivalry with Beijing.
Moon’s remarks, made to journalists convened for his first press conference of the year, came as his foreign policy and security adviser said last week that Seoul would likely come under pressure from the incoming US administration in a regional alliance-building initiative against China.
“South Korea-US and South Korea-China relations are all equally important for us,” Moon said. He noted that South Korea and the US are expanding cooperation in other fields that require global cooperation such as trade, culture, health, and climate change.
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But, he added, “relations with China are also very important”, given that it is South Korea’s largest trading partner. China’s cooperation was also “crucial for promoting peace on the Korean peninsula” as Beijing is Pyongyang’s closest ally, providing most of its trade and international aid.
“I will make continued efforts to bolster ties with China and to realise President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control,” Moon said. Xi is expected to visit South Korea on his first overseas trip this year.
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