Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming (R) speaks out against Seoul’s diplomatic policy during a meeting with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, at the envoy’s residence in Seoul on June 8, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The latest South Korea-China spat prompted by China’s top envoy to Seoul highlights the dilemma posed to South Korea in striking a balance in relations between both the United States and China in the wake of the hardening rivalry between the two major powers.
Tensions flared up last week after Xing Haiming, the Chinese ambassador to Seoul, in fluent Korean engaged in a political diatribe during a meeting with Lee Jae-myung, the head of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Xing, in threatening rhetoric, accused Seoul of jeopardizing its relations with China while saying that those who “bet on China’s defeat will definitely regret it.”
The ambassador also described the bilateral relations as having faced “external challenges” recently.
The remarks, which were streamed live over the internet for over 10 minutes, were unmistakably Beijing’s warning against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s tight alignment with Washington in its foreign policy.
In a departure from the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the current government under Yoon has aligned closer with Washington to confront threats from North Korea and other regional and global security challenges amid the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.
The ambassador’s inflammatory statement prompted South Korea’s foreign ministry to call in Xing to lodge a formal complaint.
During the summons on Friday, First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin accused the ambassador of making “unreasonable and provocative remarks.”
The ministry also warned that the ambassador potentially interfered in South Korea’s domestic affairs. Foreign Minister Park Jin even said Xing “went too far.”
(From L to R) Ret. Lt. Gen. Kim Jong-bae, Ret. Gen. Kim Geun-tae and Ret. V. Adm. Sohn Jeong-mok stage an anti-China rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on June 13, 2023, after China’s Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming made controversial remarks on June 8 over South Korea’s ties with the United States. (Yonhap)
The diplomatic row was compounded by the Chinese foreign ministry last week summoning Chung Jae-ho, Seoul’s ambassador to China, to lodge their complaint in a retaliatory tit-for-tat move.
In the latest development, a Seoul presidential official called on Beijing to take “appropriate” measures against Xing, apparently pressuring China to recall the ambassador.
Some lawmakers even urged the government to declare Xing persona non grata to force the ambassador out of the country.
Yoon himself also spoke out on the issue during a closed-door Cabinet meeting. According to sources, the president questioned “whether (Xing) has the attitude of mutual respect or promoting friendship as a diplomat.”
He also reportedly said the South Korean public was “offended by” Xing’s words.
South Korea’s foreign ministry pointed out that Xing had criticized South Korea’s policy with “inaccurate information.”
Several South Korean media outlets even filed news reports alleging Xing had received free accommodation at a luxury resort from a domestic company.
The Chinese foreign ministry has kept mum on Seoul’s calls for “appropriate” measures.
In a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, defended Xing’s comments saying it was his duty “to engage and interact with various figures from different circles” in South Korea.
Observers fear that the spat will dampen any prospects of healthy ties between Seoul and Beijing for the foreseeable future.
The stalemate has also raised uncertainty in the resumption of high-level exchanges, including the resumption of trilateral summits involving Japan, which have been suspended since 2019.
Despite the overwhelming denouncement within South Korea against China, some officials are also apparently trying to contain the situation.
A presidential official stressed that South Korea seeks to build a “healthy South Korea-China relationship based on the principle of mutual respect and reciprocity with China, while simultaneously cooperating with liberal democratic nations and allies based on the spirit of the Constitution.”
(Yonhap)
