South Korea summons Beijing’s envoy Xing Haiming over US-China rivalry remarks

Xing said in a meeting at the Chinese embassy, before a Peking duck dinner, that those who bet that China will lose out to the US ‘will certainly regret it later’

His remarks to Seoul’s opposition chief Lee Jae-myung are being seen as a swipe at nation closing ranks with US and Japan, as China becomes increasingly assertive

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The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, Xing Haiming, has been criticised by the government in Seoul. File photo: dpa

Published: 7:14pm, 9 Jun 2023

South Korea has summoned China’s top envoy over a potential “intervention in internal affairs” after he warned against Seoul betting on Beijing losing out to Washington in the two superpowers’ rivalry.

Ambassador Xing Haiming made the comments in a half-hour meeting at the Chinese embassy attended by the nation’s opposition chief – and with several journalists present – before a closed-door Peking duck dinner, reeling off a 13-minute sermon that set off a diplomatic row.

“We hope that South Korea should fend off outside interference when it handles relations with China,” said Xing, reading from a prepared statement. Next to him was liberal opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung – the nemesis of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol – who spoke before China’s ambassador at the Thursday evening meeting.

“At a time when the United States makes an all-out effort to strangle China, some people are betting on the United States emerging as the victor and China the loser. But what I can say for sure is that those who bet that China will lose out (to the United States) will certainly regret it later,” Xing said, with Lee expressionless as the ambassador continued speaking, in fluent Korean.

The meeting was taped and uploaded on YouTube by Lee’s Democratic Party.