Take an independent tack on China, Wang Yi urges South Korea

The Star

3 days ago

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has used his first official phone call with his new South Korean counterpart to call on Seoul to oppose 'decoupling' and to pursue an independent foreign policy.
In his call with Cho Hyun on Monday, Wang urged South Korea to promote a 'stable, sustainable and predictable' China policy and to deepen pragmatic cooperation, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said the two ministers spoke for about 45 minutes, reaffirming their shared commitment to advancing the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in a 'steady and mature' manner.
'They agreed to work together to ensure that the upcoming Apec summit in Gyeongju serves as a new turning point in bilateral ties and to deliver tangible outcomes in practical cooperation that can be felt by the peoples of both countries,' Yonhap reported, citing South Korea's foreign ministry.
Beijing seeks to reset its ties with the newly installed leadership in Seoul under President Lee Jae-myung.
Ties between Beijing and Seoul have begun to thaw since Lee, widely viewed as a China dove, assumed office on June 4, succeeding his US-leaning predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol, who fell from grace following a failed attempt to impose martial law.
Lee spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call last month, and Lee has reportedly been invited to attend China's military parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3 for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The South Korean leader has yet to say whether he will go.
During their call on Monday, Wang also voiced support for South Korea's hosting of the Apec summit on October 31 and November 1, which Xi is widely expected to attend.
US President Donald Trump has also been invited but has yet to confirm his attendance.
Speculation has been rife about a possible face-to-face meeting between Xi and Trump at Apec, as well as the likelihood of the US president visiting China either before or after the South Korea event.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang stressed that Beijing and Seoul should be 'genuine strategic cooperative partners' and China had maintained 'consistent and stable' policies toward South Korea.
'China hopes that the South Korean policy towards China will also remain stable, sustainable and predictable, avoiding fluctuation,' he said.
In an apparent reference to Yoon, whose pivot towards Washington and Tokyo and confrontational approach to Beijing strained ties with China, Wang also urged Seoul to maintain 'independence and autonomy' in its foreign policy.
'China-South Korea relations are based on mutual interests, beneficial to both peoples, not targeting any third party, and should not be subject to any third party,' Wang said.
The Chinese diplomat also called on Seoul to 'deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to achieve common development', 'jointly oppose 'decoupling and supply chain disruption' and safeguard stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains'.
The comments echoed Xi's message to Lee in which the Chinese president appealed for wider diplomatic, economic and cultural exchanges towards 'good-neighbourly friendship', while urging Seoul to respect Beijing's core interests from Taiwan to the South China Sea.
Yonhap reported that Wang also congratulated Cho, who took office last week, on his inauguration, and the pair agreed to maintain the positive momentum in bilateral ties through high-level exchanges.
Cho invited Wang to visit South Korea, and Wang said he would do so at a mutually convenient time, according to the South Korean agency.
Neither side mentioned North Korea in their statements on the meeting. But according to the Chinese foreign ministry, Cho said he looked forward to 'strengthening communication and coordination with China, facing history squarely, and jointly safeguarding regional peace'.
Meanwhile, a Pew Research Centre survey released this month indicated that South Koreans continued to view the US significantly more favourably than China. The poll also pointed to less support among respondents for prioritising economic ties with China compared with a similar survey in 2021. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST