ASIA PACIFIC | ANALYSIS

Seoul holds firm as Beijing slams South

Korea for moving closer to U.S.

South Korean and Chinese flags flutter next to Tiananmen Gate during a visit to Beijing by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in
December 2017. | REUTERS

BY ALYSSA CHEN Jun 15, 2023

STAFF WRITER

HONG KONG – Seoul is standing its ground after warnings from Beijing that it is making
“wrong bets” in the Sino-U.S. rivalry, but challenges remain for South Korea as it tries to
balance economic ties with China while deepening its deterrence capabilities with the
U.S. and Japan.
Long wary of alienating China, its biggest trading partner and a key country in any
attempt to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea, the push by South Korean President Yoon
Suk-yeol to build closer security and economic ties with Washington and Tokyo has both
surprised and concerned China, especially as Washington’s rivalry with Beijing sends
that relationship into a tailspin.

Observers say Beijing is wary of what it calls a U.S.-led policy of “containment,

encirclement and suppression,” a push that it claims includes bringing Seoul on board.

“China has a growing concern that the U.S. is bringing in more allies and partners to
contain China to stop its development and to strangle its technological advancement,”
said Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at International
Christian University in Tokyo.

Ties between Seoul and Beijing had been simmering for months, but the relationship hit
a boiling point last week after fiery remarks by Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing
Haiming.

“At a time when the United States makes an all-out effort to contain China, some people
are betting on the U.S. emerging as the victor and China the loser. This is obviously a
misjudgment,” Xing said in remarks during a June 8 meeting with Lee Jae-myung, the
leader of South Korea’s main opposition party.

“Those who bet against China now will regret it in the future,” Xing added ominously.

The assertive remarks were widely seen as a criticism of South Korea’s shifting foreign
policy and a warning against its gradual move closer to the U.S. on a variety of issues,
including on measures to diversify supply chains and the fate of self-ruled Taiwan.

Xing’s comments elicited a swift response from Seoul — with the government
summoning him to lodge a complaint and saying that he would be held responsible for
“all consequences” that come from his remarks.

In an apparent tit-for-tat move a day later, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister ⤢ Nong
Rong also summoned (https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/wjbxw_new/202306/t20230611_11094778.shtml) the
South Korean envoy to China, calling on Seoul to reflect “deeply on the problems in
bilateral relations and take them seriously.”

“Beijing is trying to send the strongest of signals that it is unhappy with the Yoon
administration’s tilt towards the United States and Japan,” Nagy said, adding that China
worries that South Korea is emerging as the latest addition to a united front intended to
constrain it.

South Korea’s Presidential Office has called on Beijing to take “appropriate” measures
against Xing, the ⤢ Yonhap news agency quoted a senior official
(https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230614001800325?section=news) in Seoul as saying this week in an
apparent attempt to pressure China to recall the ambassador.

During a closed-door Cabinet meeting, Yoon, himself, also questioned “whether (Xing)
has the attitude of mutual respect or promoting friendship as a diplomat,” Yonhap
reported, adding that the South Korean leader had also said his country’s public had
been “offended by” Xing’s remarks.
(https://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/np_file_233350.jpeg)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony marking Memorial Day at the
country’s National Cemetery in Seoul on June 6. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

Seoul expects Beijing to moderate its behavior — or at the very least not to escalate the
tension — and will likely base its response on “Beijing’s actions, not words,” according to
Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of
Singapore.

“Seoul is holding its ground,” he added. “It is open to action of its own should Beijing
decide to escalate, but does not intend to initiate any further action until then.”

It remains unclear if the two sides can reach some kind of mutual understanding in the
near-term.

Xing claimed that responsibility for the souring ties does not rest with Beijing, saying
that South Korea should cast off “external factors” when managing relations with China
— a veiled reference to Seoul’s growing alignment with Washington.

Nong, meanwhile, noted that Chinese envoys are expected to hold a wide range of
discussions, engagements and exchanges with people from all walks of life in South
Korea, echoing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s comments that part of Xing’s job is to
share “China’s position and concerns.”

Yoon has pursued what his administration calls “values-based diplomacy” and part of
that has involved him taking aim at one of China’s so-called core issues — Taiwan.

In an April interview (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/04/19/asia-pacific/south-korea-

possible-military-aid-ukraine/), he condemned any attempt to use force to change the status
quo over the self-ruled island, a reference to China’s growing willingness to spotlight its
powerful military capabilities around the island.

The matter, he told Reuters at the time, is not “simply an issue between China and
Taiwan” but one that involves the entire world, contradicting Beijing’s view of the issue
as a purely domestic one.
The remarks were roundly condemned by Beijing, which summoned the South Korean
ambassador there and denounced the comments as “erroneous” and “totally
unacceptable.”

China views democratic Taiwan as a renegade province that must be unified with the
mainland — by force, if necessary.

Chong said Seoul’s concerns over instability around the island are understandable,
whereas an internationalization of the Taiwan issue remains a large concern in Beijing,
with the Communist Party leadership anticipating this could make attempts to
subjugate or coerce Taiwan ever more challenging.

Chinese state-run media has lashed out at the Yoon government over the shift, saying it
“is gradually falling into a strategic trap orchestrated by the U.S. to contain China.”

“We have every reason to believe that if this trajectory continues, South Korea will no
longer be a mere follower of the U.S. but could eventually find itself in a frontline role,”
the hawkish Global Times newspaper said in an ⤢ editorial Sunday
(https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1292367.shtml).

The tensions between the neighbors have hit the highest levels since 2017 when China
slapped South Korean businesses with unofficial sanctions after Seoul deployed the
U.S.-made THAAD anti-ballistic missile system. Beijing views the system, with its
powerful radars that can theoretically peer into China, as a security threat. Seoul,
however, has maintained that it is intended to counter the North Korean missile threat.

To ease China’s concerns, then-President Moon Jae-in, Yoon’s predecessor, pledged that
his administration would abide by “three no’s” — no new THAAD deployments, no
participation in a U.S. missile-defense network and no involvement in a military alliance
with U.S. and Japan.

Yoon’s government, however, has signaled that it could redefine this understanding if
needed as it shifts to a “hard-line stance” toward Beijing following China’s “high-handed
diplomatic rhetoric and attitude,” South Korea’s ⤢ DongA Ilbo newspaper
(https://www.donga.com/news/Politics/article/all/20230613/119734768/1) reported, citing a
prominent government official in Seoul.

As far as a return of de facto economic sanctions on South Korea by China, Chong said
any such moves were unlikely to prove effective in bringing Seoul to heel.

While China remains an important market for South Korea, economic retaliation by
Beijing can be circumvented and mitigated with sufficient adjustment and
diversification measures, according to Chong, who called this a key consideration in the
shift closer to Washington and Tokyo.

“South Korea has already been diversifying away from China for some time,” he said. “At
some subsequent point, Seoul and Beijing should find some new accommodation.”

Ultimately, the recent diplomatic back-and-forth has highlighted the bleak outlook for
the relationship, with ties expected to incrementally deteriorate.

“South Korea will continue to reach out to China and continue to have dialogue,” Nagy
said. “But as long as President Yoon is in power, we are likely to see more convergence
between Japan, the U.S. and South Korea on security issues but also the challenges
 associated with China being its large trading partner.”

KEYWORDS

CHINA (HTTPS://WWW.JAPANTIMES.CO.JP/TAG/CHINA/), U.S.

(HTTPS://WWW.JAPANTIMES.CO.JP/TAG/U-S/), TAIWAN
(HTTPS://WWW.JAPANTIMES.CO.JP/TAG/TAIWAN/), SOUTH KOREA
(HTTPS://WWW.JAPANTIMES.CO.JP/TAG/SOUTH-KOREA/), YOON SUK-YEOL
(HTTPS://WWW.JAPANTIMES.CO.JP/TAG/YOON-SUK-YEOL/)

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