China firmly opposes any act that targets Beijing as a consequence of plans drawn up at the upcoming summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Thursday.
“China is continuing its efforts for peace, safety, development and prosperity in the region. I hope this meeting will be helpful in line with these efforts,” Xing said, referring to the trilateral summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, set to take place at Camp David, Friday (local time).
“I hope that mutual communication between related countries will contribute to peace and stability in the region. At the same time, China is firmly opposed to any practices which target, imply or even interfere with China’s internal affairs,” he said.
Xing noted that “China will protect its national interests,” but did not comment further on what outcomes he expects from the Camp David summit.
The security alliance surrounding North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats will be the top agenda item of the three-way talks. But security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo is expected to go beyond deterring North Korean threats, as the U.S. is seeking to link its two Asian allies into a tighter security network and expand their roles in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the meeting, the three leaders are expected to agree on establishing three-way hotlines and holding annual joint military drills.
The Chinese envoy viewed that bolstering military power is not helpful in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“Through the twists and turns we have seen in the issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula, it is clear that dialogue and negotiation are the only correct and effective methods in easing tensions and pursuing a political resolution,” he said.
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Decoupling from China will hurt the US
The envoy was critical of the U.S. government’s recent decision to ban certain investments in Chinese entities in semiconductors, microelectronics and certain artificial intelligence sectors, in the latest sign of escalating economic tensions between the two nations.
“Decoupling (from China) will damage the U.S., too. It will damage every player including the U.S.,” he said, adding that South Korea and China should continue to pursue win-win economic cooperation.
But China’s deepening economic slump has been raising alarms among South Korean businesses as the nation struggles to recover from a pandemic-induced slowdown.
Xing, however, expressed confidence in the outlook for the world’s second-largest economy.
“Recently, there has been a fabricated narrative among some people about China’s economic ‘peak’ and ‘crisis’ that undervalues the prospects of the nation’s economic development. These people have been calling for a so-called ‘de-risking’ drive from China,” he said.
Xing viewed that such claims are aimed at inciting division, eliminating opportunities for growth and cooperation, and thus would ultimately damage each country’s interests.
“China still remains a crucial engine for a global economic recovery and growth,” the ambassador said.
“Moving forward, China will steadfastly expand high levels of openness and cultivate a more favorable business and market environment, while ensuring various legitimate rights for foreign companies, including South Korean firms,” he explained.
As Pyongyang mulls lifting its years-long COVID-19 border closure policy, the South Korean government has been urging Beijing to refrain from repatriating North Korean escapees against their will.
“Our stance is that we make decisions based on domestic laws, international laws as well as from a humanitarian perspective. And we exchange opinions with various countries in the process. We have been following this principle, and will continue to do so in the future,” the ambassador said.
Xing added that many other countries handle similar issues in the same manner, mentioning how the U.S. government deals with illegal border crossings in El Paso, Texas, as an example.
31st anniversary of diplomatic relations
This year marks the 31st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. Throughout the past three decades and more, the neighboring countries have made quantitative developments in the realms of politics, trade and people-to-people exchanges, Xing said.
However, bilateral relations have been quite tense under the Yoon administration as Seoul’s policy of closer alignment with Washington has drawn dissatisfaction from Beijing.
“I do not think that there are fundamental, systemic problems in China-Korea relations. Some difficulties faced by the two countries are temporary,” Xing said, adding that the two nations will see healthy developments in relations as long as both sides respect each other’s core interests and major concerns.
The envoy acknowledged that South Korean and Chinese public sentiment toward each other has been deteriorating in recent years.
“It is true that emotions between people of the two nations have somewhat grown. I won’t deny that,” he said, pointing out that a lack of people-to-people exchanges due to the COVID-19 outbreak seems to be the main reason behind it.
A street in the shopping area of Myeong-dong in downtown Seoul is crowded with local and foreign visitors, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Ahn Da-eun
In that sense, Xing hoped that the Chinese government’s recent decision to allow group tours to South Korea will be a catalyst in improving bilateral relations.
Beijing announced last week that it will lift its ban on Chinese group tours to South Korea, ending a six-year hiatus caused by frayed relations following the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile battery system here, better known as THAAD.
“After China announced the latest measures, I have heard that the search volume for Korean hotels at Chinese travel websites increased by 15 times. And a significant number of Chinese people are considering spending their Golden Week holiday in October in Korea,” Xing said.
He added, “I believe that these measures will play a positive catalytic role in the recovery and development of the economies of both countries, as well as in improving public sentiment following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
