“If you bet on losing, you will regret it” Chinese Ambassador Lee Jae-myung meets with Yun government
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming met with the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Lee Jae-myung on Monday and strongly criticized the Yoon administration for its “value diplomacy,” which includes strengthening bilateral ties with the United States and trilateral cooperation with South Korea, the United States, and Japan. It is unusual for a Chinese ambassador to South Korea to meet with an opposition leader and air his frustrations with the South Korean government. Diplomatic controversy is expected over the extent of Singh’s remarks.
Later in the day, Singh invited Lee Jae-myung to the Chinese Embassy residence in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, to discuss China-ROK relations and the Korean Peninsula. “Sino-Chinese relations are facing challenges from external factors,” Singh said, adding, “We hope that South Korea will stay out of the way of external factors when dealing with its relations with China.” “With the U.S. pressuring China with all its might, some are betting that the U.S. will win and China will lose. I can assure you that those who bet on China’s defeat now will surely regret it later.” Singh’s comments were a strong criticism of Yun’s administration’s foreign policy, which he said was biased toward the United States. “The two countries should bravely move forward against the winds and obstacles with a sense of urgency of ‘reverse-performance sluggishness’ (a ship going against the current will regress if it does not move forward)토토사이트,” Singh said.
In particular, Ambassador Singh responded to Mr. Lee’s comment that “there are concerns that trust and respect between the peoples of the two countries have regressed a lot in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations,” adding, “Frankly, the blame does not lie with China. We would be very grateful if South Korea would also respect China’s core interests.”
The conversation also turned to the release of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. “I would like (the two countries) to raise their voices together as much as possible and come up with a joint response to this issue,” Lee suggested. “As Japan’s neighbors, China and South Korea should do their best to stop the discharge of contaminated water into the sea to protect the lives and safety of their citizens and to protect the global marine ecological environment,” Singh replied. In the process, Ambassador Xing strongly criticized Japan, saying that “Japan is using the Pacific Ocean as its home sewer for its economic and other interests,” and that “this is an extremely irresponsible behavior.”
Lee expressed concern over the large bilateral trade deficit and called on China to play a role in the denuclearization and peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula. “China has been paying close attention to South Korea’s bilateral trade deficit,” Ambassador Singh said, adding, “While there are some reasons for this, such as the poor global economic situation and the semiconductor industry entering a downward spiral, I think the more important reason is that some people have tried to push for de-Chinaization.” “South Korea can continue to enjoy the bonuses of China’s economic growth if it strengthens its faith in public-private cooperation, adapts to changes in China’s market and industrial structure, and creates a timely public investment strategy.”
The dinner was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul at the suggestion of the Democratic National Committee last month. The dinner, which started at 6 p.m. and lasted for two hours, reportedly featured Peking duck with accompaniments.
Later that day, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul issued a press release on Ambassador Singh’s remarks. This is unusual for a foreign ambassador to Korea to provide the media with a copy of his remarks during a meeting with a South Korean political figure.