China’s Wang Yi slams US move for South Korea to join ‘outdated’ Five Eyes alliance

Wang told his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong that Seoul and Beijing are ‘partners that can’t part ways’, on his last stop of a four-nation Asian tour

South Korea has become increasingly important in the US-China competition for influence and Seoul sees Beijing as essential in the bid to denuclearise North Korea

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong bump elbows ahead of their talks at the foreign ministry in Seoul on September 15. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:45pm, 15 Sep 2021Updated: 10:07pm, 15 Sep 2021

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday lashed out at the idea of expanding the US-led Five Eyes intelligence alliance to include South Korea, berating it as an “outdated” by-product of the Cold War era.

Wang made the remarks after his talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Seoul, and as a draft US House bill calls on President Joe Biden’s administration to consider expanding the alliance that comprises the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

Wang called for strengthened ties between China and South Korea, saying they are “close neighbours that cannot relocate themselves and partners that can’t part ways with each other”, especially as the world undergoes major changes exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We, together, have played active roles as guardians of peace, stability and facilitators for development and prosperity,” said Wang, who is on the fourth leg of his Asian tour that also took him to Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore.

The visit comes amid mounting rivalry between China and the US, with Beijing seen as trying to assert its influence following high-profile trips to the region by US Vice-President Kamala Harris and Deputy State Secretary Wendy Sherman in recent months. Fresh from its recent exit from Afghanistan that freed up resources including military assets, Washington is also rallying allies as it seeks to counter a rising China.

Kim Heung-kyu, a professor of political science at Aju University in Suwon City near Seoul, said Wang’s visit to Seoul highlights South Korea’s growing importance as a “lynch pin” in the US-led defence networks in the Asia Pacific region, backed by its growing military power and technical prowess, especially in semiconductor manufacturing.

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