South Korea summons China envoy over warning on ‘wrong bets’ in ties

SEOUL - South Korea summoned China’s ambassador on Friday to issue a protest, describing comments made by the envoy warning Seoul against making “wrong bets” in the Sino-US rivalry as “provocative” and a possible interference in internal affairs. 

Mr Xing Haiming made the remarks during a meeting late on Thursday with Mr Lee Jae-myung, head of South Korea’s main opposition party, where he also urged Seoul to stop “decoupling” from China and restore economic and diplomatic ties. 

Mr Xing blamed Seoul for creating “difficulties” for bilateral ties by failing to respect Beijing’s core interests, including Taiwan, while being

influenced by the United States.

“China-South Korea relations face many difficulties. Frankly, the blame does not lie with China,” he said, according to a statement released by the embassy. “We hope that the South Korean side will faithfully keep its promise and clearly respect China’s core concerns, such as the Taiwan issue.”

Mr Xing warned against making the “wrong judgment” on China because of the “interference of external factors” such as US pressure.

“In a situation where the United States is pressuring China with all its might, some are betting that the United States will win and China will lose. This is clearly a wrong judgment and a failure to properly grasp the course of history,” he said. “I can assure you, those who bet on China’s defeat will definitely regret it.”

South Korea’s first vice foreign minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Mr Xing to warn about the “provocative” remarks and to express “strong regret,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said. 

Openly criticising Seoul’s policy with “untrue content and intolerable expressions” could constitute an act of interfering in domestic politics, Mr Chang said. 

Mr Lee’s opposition party has criticised President Yoon Suk-yeol for what it says is the administration’s lopsided diplomacy toward the US alliance at the expense of ties with China, its top trading partner. 

“Vice-minister Chang clearly warned Ambassador Xing... that he will be responsible for all the consequences,” the ministry said in a statement. 

Mr Yoon has treaded cautiously amid intensifying US-China competition, but

Seoul and Beijing exchanged heated words

in April over Mr Yoon’s comments on Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr Yoon said that flaring tensions around Taiwan were due to attempts to change the status quo by force, and that he opposed such a change.

Mr Xing also brought up economic ties and said South Korea’s trade deficits have worsened because of its efforts to “decouple” from China, but it can “enjoy the bonus” from Chinese economic growth if its confidence in bilateral ties are restored.

“The two countries have built an inextricable economic structure in which their industrial and supply chains are closely connected,” he said. REUTERS