Latest news with #Anti-Chinese
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
China displaces old foe Japan in South Koreans' minds ahead of vote
Anti-Chinese feeling has spread among South Koreans -- online, at right-wing rallies and in Seoul's Chinatown. By Oliver Hotham and Lillian Ding Shops selling steaming snacks line the streets of Seoul's Daerim neighborhood, home to thousands of ethnic Chinese, some feeling the pressure from mounting anti-Beijing sentiment ahead of South Korea's election. China has displaced longtime foe and former colonial power Japan in many South Koreans' minds as the country's most distrusted neighbor in recent years. And ahead of Tuesday's vote, anti-Chinese feeling has spread among South Koreans -- online, at right-wing rallies and in Seoul's Chinatown. Many of the quarter's Chinese residents, such as 74-year-old Yu Shunzi, flocked to South Korea seeking economic opportunities in the 1990s and 2000s. "A lot of Koreans still think China is a very backward country and discriminate against Chinese a lot," she told AFP. Yu, who arrived in 2007 from the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, said the situation is so bad that she planned to move back when the economy allowed. "I want to go home, but with the exchange rate being this low, I'd lose a lot of money," she said. While former colonial master Japan has long had a difficult relationship with South Korea, Seoul's ties with China have increasingly come under the spotlight. In 2022, polling conducted by Hankook Research showed for the first time that South Koreans distrusted China more than they did Japan -- a trend that has continued in recent years. Former leader Yoon Suk Yeol referred to vague allegations of Chinese spying when he tried to justify his declaration of martial law, which led to his ousting. Conspiracy theories have since run rampant among the South Korean right, fueling the distrust. But analysts also say that a series of clashes between Beijing and Seoul in recent years over history, territory and defense are the deeper cause of the schism. "China's growing assertiveness is the main reason behind South Korea's negative views about the country," said Ramon Pacheco Pardo from King's College London. "Most South Koreans have no affinity towards today's China," the international relations professor told AFP. Seoul has long trodden a fine line between top trading partner China and defense guarantor the United States. Relations with China nosedived in 2016 following the South's decision to deploy the US-made THAAD missile defense system. Beijing saw it as a threat to its own security and reacted furiously, imposing a string of restrictions on South Korean businesses and banning group tours as part of sweeping economic retaliation. A series of public spats about the origins of Korean cultural staples such as kimchi, which China had claimed as its own, also left a bitter taste. Yoon's administration deepened that divide, cleaving close to the United States and seeking to improve ties with Japan. "Under his leadership, Seoul made its position unmistakably clear: it stood with Washington and its allies, not Beijing," Claudia Kim, assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong, told AFP. Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung has publicly hinted that a softer line might be in the works if he wins. Beijing won't "miss the opportunity to improve relations with the South" if Lee wins, Cheong Seong-chang at Seoul's Sejong Institute told AFP, suggesting a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping could even take place. Lee has also raised alarm bells by saying that a future conflict between China and Taiwan would not be South Korea's concern. That could put him on a collision course with the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has made containing China a cornerstone of its bid to reshape the international order. "Trump's focus on deterring China may lead to a mismatch of foreign policy priorities with Lee," Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford, told AFP. Compounding deepening distrust of China has been a surge of conspiracy theories. Analysis by AFP revealed many of the most widely-circulated pieces of misinformation tap into fears of meddling by China. Rallies in support of ex-president Yoon have featured calls to oust alleged "pro-Chinese Communist Party" forces, as well as posters with anti-Chinese slurs and slogans advocating for Chinese nationals to be deported. A recent editorial in Beijing's state-run nationalist tabloid Global Times condemned "far-right" forces in South Korea for "stirring up xenophobia" against Chinese people. In Seoul's Chinatown, Li Jinzi, 73, complained about a culture of "misinformation" that was breeding negative feelings towards her home country. "Fake news breeds misunderstandings," she said. © 2025 AFP
The Star
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Pro-China remarks haunt South Korea's presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung amid West Sea dispute
SEOUL: No thanks to his 'xie xie' gaffe from a year ago, former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who is widely regarded as the forerunner in South Korea's snap presidential election on June 3, is now in a bit of a tight spot. In the run-up to the country's April 2024 general election, in an attempt to disparage then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's tightening alliance with the United States and Japan which had invited criticism from China, Lee had said Seoul could avoid antagonising Beijing further, especially over Taiwan Strait tensions by simply saying xie xie, or 'thanks' in Mandarin, to China and Taiwan. These remarks have come back to haunt Lee as simmering tensions between South Korea and China bubbled to the surface recently over Chinese-built structures in the jointly managed West Sea Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) where both countries' exclusive economic zones overlap. The two countries met at a high-level dialogue in Seoul on Wednesday (April 23) to discuss China's unilateral installation of three structures in the West Sea PMZ between 2018 and 2024, amid rumours that China was preparing for a fourth structure. South Korea, worried that the structures are China's way of staking its claim in the PMZ, is demanding that the existing structures be relocated outside of the PMZ. But the Chinese are claiming that the structures are for aquaculture purposes and unrelated to sovereignty or maritime boundary delimitation. Failing to reach a consensus at the meeting, both sides have agreed to hold the next round of talks in China at a mutually convenient time. Amid the rising tensions, Lee's political rivals are lampooning his previous pro-China comments in a bid to discredit the presidential hopeful, who is known for his strength in domestic politics but weakness in foreign policy. At the time when he made the comments, critics and political rivals had slammed the lawyer-turned-politician's lack of foreign policy acumen for not recognising the impact of the situation in the nearby Taiwan Strait on the Korean Peninsula's security and South Korea's economy. Tension is high between China, which claims the island as its territory, and Taiwan, which wants to maintain its de facto independence. Anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in South Korea, where a poll released in March found that respondents in their 20s and 30s rated China's favourability at just 30 out of 100, barely registering two points above North Korea. Yoon's impeachment saga has also led to the spread of anti-Chinese sentiment among far-right conservatives, as both the former president and members from his ruling People Power Party (PPP) have alleged Chinese involvement in election fraud in South Korea as one of the key factors that had triggered Yoon to declare martial law on Dec 3. Yoon claims that martial law would allow him to launch a thorough investigation into election fraud as the country's election commission is controlled by the judiciary during peacetime. Yoon was impeached for his declaration of martial law on Dec 3, 2024 which was deemed illegal, leading to the snap presidential election being called for June 3. Research fellow Dr Lee Dong-gyu from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul told The Straits Times that the conservatives are expected to continue to leverage on the anti-Chinese sentiment to make sure that Lee is disadvantaged by his pro-China stance. Former PPP chief Han Dong-hoon, who is among four candidates vying for the PPP ticket, said in a social media post on April 21 that 'the 'West Sea Project' cannot be stopped by just giving China a 'xie xie',' in an apparent dig at Lee. Han went on to add that the next president 'must accurately understand the Trump administration's Asia priority policy' which gives no room for Lee's 'fake diplomacy and fake security policies'. Amid the brickbats, Lee, who is from the opposition Democratic Party (DP), has outwardly kept a light touch on foreign policy pledges although he has rolled out numerous domestic policy pledges, including a bold 100 trillion won (S$91.9 billion) pledge on artificial intelligence (AI) investment. In a televised debate on April 23 with his party rivals vying for the party's ticket to the presidential elections, Lee said that he is a champion of 'pragmatic diplomacy' or pursuing foreign policy based on national interests, without going into specifics. His election team's policy chief told reporters after the debate that it was a 'strategic silence' to avoid 'exposing operations and strategies' ahead of the official presidential election campaign period which begins on May 12. But Asan Institute's Dr Lee thinks that the 'strategic silence' adopted by Lee's camp, is more of a 'careful move to win the election'. 'He needs to avoid providing conservatives with ammunition and win over the moderate voters with a perception that he will sustain cordial relations with both the US and Japan,' said Dr Lee. He added that domestic pressure over security concerns related to North Korea's close ties with Russia and Pyongyang's military provocations, would 'demand that he either maintain or even strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and security cooperation with the US and Japan'. King's College London's international relations professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo shares a similar view that if elected, Lee is likely to focus on cooperation with the US and Japan and be wary of China 'given the current state of geopolitics in North-east Asia and globally'. He added that liberal candidates 'tended to be labelled as pro-China even though that is not true'. 'I think that DP is ultimately pro-South Korea, rather than pro-China or anti-Japan,' he told ST. Since Yoon's martial law debacle, Lee has consistently led in opinion polls as the most favoured potential candidate for the presidential election, with a wide lead over other prospective candidates. In the latest Gallup Korea poll based on 1,000 respondents released on April 25, Lee has maintained his lead at 38 per cent, while Han came in a distant second at eight per cent. While his political rivals have attempted to discredit him by attacking his lack of foreign policy acuity, experts believe that Lee's biggest weaknesses in his campaign lie elsewhere. 'I think that his main weaknesses during the campaign will be his court cases and some of his more populist remarks, rather than his foreign policy,' said Prof Pacheco Pardo, adding that Lee would still have time to define his foreign policy stance when campaigning officially begins. Lee, who was acquitted of election law violation charges on March 26 by Seoul's High Court, faces a last hurdle as prosecutors have filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. With the Supreme Court holding deliberations in unprecedented quick succession on April 22 and 24, speculation is rife that the Court is heading for a final verdict before the election on June 3. International politics professor Mason Richey from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said Lee's biggest strength lies in the conservatives' candidates being 'saddled with the legacy of Yoon's martial law (declaration) and (subsequent) impeachment'. 'Lee's campaign ultimately runs on the idea that he isn't Yoon Suk Yeol,' he said. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Pro-China remarks haunt S Korea's presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung amid West Sea dispute
Presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung is known for his strength in domestic politics but weakness in foreign policy. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - No thanks to his 'xie xie' gaffe from a year ago, former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who is widely regarded as the forerunner in South Korea's snap presidential election on June 3, is now in a bit of a tight spot. In the run-up to the country's April 2024 general election, in an attempt to disparage then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's tightening alliance with the United States and Japan which had invited criticism from China , Mr Lee had said Seoul could avoid antagonising Beijing further, especially over Taiwan Strait tensions by simply saying xie xie, or 'thanks' in Mandarin, to China and Taiwan. These remarks have come back to haunt Mr Lee as simmering tensions between South Korea and China bubbled to the surface recently over Chinese-built structures in the jointly managed West Sea Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) where both countries' exclusive economic zones overlap. The two countries met at a high-level dialogue in Seoul on April 23 to discuss China's unilateral installation of three structures in the West Sea PMZ between 2018 and 2024, amid rumours that China was preparing for a fourth structure. South Korea, worried that the structures are China's way of staking its claim in the PMZ, is demanding that the existing structures be relocated outside of the PMZ. But the Chinese are claiming that the structures are for aquaculture purposes and unrelated to sovereignty or maritime boundary delimitation. Failing to reach a consensus at the meeting, both sides have agreed to hold the next round of talks in China at a mutually convenient time. Amid the rising tensions, Mr Lee's political rivals are lampooning his previous pro-China comments in a bid to discredit the presidential hopeful, who is known for his strength in domestic politics but weakness in foreign policy. At the time when he made the comments, critics and political rivals had slammed the lawyer-turned-politician's lack of foreign policy acumen for not recognising the impact of the situation in the nearby Taiwan Strait on the Korean Peninsula's security and South Korea's economy. Tension is high between China, which claims the island as its territory, and Taiwan, which wants to maintain its de facto independence. Anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in South Korea, where a poll released in March found that respondents in their 20s and 30s rated China's favourability at just 30 out of 100, barely registering two points above North Korea. Yoon's impeachment saga has also led to the spread of anti-Chinese sentiment among far-right conservatives, as both the former president and members from his ruling People Power Party (PPP) have alleged Chinese involvement in election fraud in South Korea as one of the key factors that had triggered Yoon to declare martial law on Dec 3. Yoon claims that martial law would allow him to launch a thorough investigation into election fraud as the country's election commission is controlled by the judiciary during peacetime. Yoon was impeached for his declaration of martial law on Dec 3, 2024 which was deemed illegal, leading to the snap presidential election being called for June 3. Research fellow Dr Lee Dong-gyu from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul told The Straits Times that the conservatives are expected to continue to leverage on the anti-Chinese sentiment to make sure that Mr Lee is disadvantaged by his pro-China stance. Former PPP chief Han Dong-hoon, who is among four candidates vying for the PPP ticket , said in a social media post on April 21 that 'the 'West Sea Project' cannot be stopped by just giving China a 'xie xie',' in an apparent dig at Mr Lee. Mr Han went on to add that the next president 'must accurately understand the Trump administration's Asia priority policy ' which gives no room for Mr Lee's 'fake diplomacy and fake security policies'. Amid the brickbats, Mr Lee , who is from the opposition Democratic Party (DP), has outwardly kept a light touch on foreign policy pledges although he has rolled out numerous domestic policy pledges, including a bold 100 trillion won (S$91.9 billion) pledge on artificial intelligence (AI) investment. In a televised debate on April 23 with his party rivals vying for the party's ticket to the presidential elections, Mr Lee said that he is a champion of 'pragmatic diplomac y ' or pursuing foreign policy based on national interests, without going into specifics. His election team's policy chief told reporters after the debate that it was a 'strategic silence' to avoid 'exposing operations and strategies' ahead of the official presidential election campaign period which begins on May 12. But Asan Institute's Dr Lee thinks that the 'strategic silence' adopted by Mr Lee's camp, is more of a 'careful move to win the election'. 'He needs to avoid providing conservatives with ammunition and win over the moderate voters with a perception that he will sustain cordial relations with both the US and Japan,' said Dr Lee. He added that domestic pressure over security concerns related to North Korea's close ties with Russia and Pyongyang's military provocations, would 'demand that he either maintain or even strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and security cooperation with the US and Japan'. King's College London's international relations professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo shares a similar view that if elected, Mr Lee is likely to focus on cooperation with the US and Japan and be wary of China 'given the current state of geopolitics in North-east Asia and globally'. He added that liberal candidates 'tended to be labelled as pro-China even though that is not true'. 'I think that DP is ultimately pro-South Korea, rather than pro-China or anti-Japan,' he told ST. Since Yoon's martial law debacle, Mr Lee has consistently led in opinion polls as the most favoured potential candidate for the presidential election, with a wide lead over other prospective candidates. In the latest Gallup Korea poll based on 1,000 respondents released on April 25, Mr Lee has maintained his lead at 38 per cent, while Mr Han came in a distant second at eight per cent. While his political rivals have attempted to discredit him by attacking his lack of foreign policy acuity, experts believe that Mr Lee's biggest weaknesses in his campaign lie elsewhere. 'I think that his main weaknesses during the campaign will be his court cases and some of his more populist remarks, rather than his foreign policy,' said Prof Pacheco Pardo , adding that Mr Lee would still have time to define his foreign policy stance when campaigning officially begins . Mr Lee, who was acquitted of election law violation charges on March 26 by Seoul's High Court, faces a last hurdle as prosecutors have filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. With the Supreme Court holding deliberations in unprecedented quick succession on April 22 and 24, speculation is rife that the Court is heading for a final verdict before the election on June 3. International politics professor Mason Richey from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said Mr Lee's biggest strength lies in the conservatives' candidates being 'saddled with the legacy of Yoon's martial law (declaration) and (subsequent) impeachment'. 'Mr Lee's campaign ultimately runs on the idea that he isn't Yoon Suk Yeol,' he said. Wendy Teo is The Straits Times' South Korea correspondent based in Seoul. She covers issues concerning the two Koreas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scoop: Anti-Chinese government group launches plan to track anti-CCP legislation in statehouses
EXCLUSIVE: State Armor Action is releasing a new tool that will allow people to track anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) legislation across the country. "China's communist government targets American state governments in order to undermine our homeland security. Protecting the United States from the Chinese Communist Party requires working on the front lines in statehouses across the country to combat CCP aggression and oppression," Michael Lucci, the founder and CEO of State Armor Action, told Fox News Digital. The comment comes as Lucci's organization, which aims to help U.S. states confront emerging global security threats, releases a new tracker that allows users to see all the legislation regarding China currently making its way through state legislatures. Trump: China Calling 'A Lot' Since Last Week's Tariff Increase, Deal Could Happen As Soon As 3 Weeks According to the tracker, their organization is currently keeping tabs on 461 bills across the country aimed at addressing the threat posed by the CCP. The tracker also keeps tabs on where those bills stand, with a graphic showing that 11 of the bills have been killed, 43 have been adopted, 25 have passed both chambers, 43 have crossed over from one chamber to another, and 339 have been introduced. Read On The Fox News App "State Armor Action's legislation tracker will serve as a crucial tool in the fight against Communist China and its nefarious partners," Lucci said. "The tracker will help educate policy leaders and inform the American public about the legislation that will stop the CCP across the country, and it will help spread legislative concepts between states." Gordon Chang: Trump Tariffing China At The Worst Possible Time For Xi Jinping The tracker contains graphics that track the party in control of each state government where bills have been introduced or enacted, while also displaying a U.S. map showing which states have the highest concentration of anti-CCP bills. While the threat posed by China may traditionally be seen as in the sphere of the federal government's control, Alex Gray, deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff of the White House National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that it is critical that states also set themselves up to combat China. "The Chinese Communist Party has its sights set on the states," Gray said. "Now more than ever, we need state leaders to step up and harden themselves against Communist China. State Armor Action's new China legislation tracker will help inform and educate leaders on legislation across the country, allow them to monitor progress, and make it easier to join the fight against the CCP's encroachment in our homeland. State and local leaders can use the tracker to model their legislation based on other successful counter-CCP bills around the country. I urge all leaders to use this tool and help counter China's malign influence."Original article source: Scoop: Anti-Chinese government group launches plan to track anti-CCP legislation in statehouses
Voice of America
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Concern grows in Washington, Seoul about China's disinformation campaign
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the closing statements of his impeachment trial this week said that a Chinese-backed disinformation campaign is threatening South Korea's democracy. The United States has acknowledged Beijing's global disinformation campaign amid growing concerns in Seoul and Washington about China's alleged interference in South Korean politics and elections. "It's well known that the Chinese Communist Party deploys vast information manipulation campaigns around the world," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement emailed Wednesday to VOA's Korean Service. "Fake news, propaganda and disinformation are tools frequently employed as a part of Beijing's diplomacy," the statement said, using a long-standing practice of anonymity. The comments were made in response to remarks by China's ambassador to Seoul, Dai Bing, who criticized South Korean conservative groups for speaking out about what they view as Beijing's interference in South Korean politics and elections. On Tuesday, Dai told journalists gathered at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul that the groups' "strong disruptive influence could significantly impact the development of China-South Korea relations." Dai continued, "We remain committed to noninterference in South Korea's internal affairs, but we will also take appropriate measures depending on the severity of the situation." Anti-Chinese sentiment has been growing in South Korea, along with opposition to the impeachment of Yoon, who is now waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on his brief martial law decree in December. Yoon, facing separate charges for insurrection associated with his martial law decree, was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Dec. 14, for what they saw as taking an extreme measure designed for times of war. Alleged election interference Thousands of protesters took to the streets in support of arguments made at weekslong court hearings by Yoon's attorneys, who alleged that China and North Korea interfered in South Korean politics and elections to undermine national security. The court wrapped up its impeachment hearings on Tuesday after Yoon made his final statement defending his decree. Yoon said foreign entities have been collaborating with anti-state forces in South Korea in undermining the system of liberal democracy, threatening its national security and driving the country into a state of emergency. "They have driven the country into the state of conflict and chaos through fake news, manipulation of public opinion and propaganda," Yoon said. The court's impeachment ruling is expected in mid-March. If the court rules to impeach Yoon, an election will be held within 60 days to select a new president. The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), Lee Jae-myung, known for his pro-China views, is considered a strong candidate. "China has been actively interfering in South Korea's politics for decades, and recent evidence suggests that Beijing has even been helping the South's leftists rig elections," said Gordon Chang, senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America. Dai's remarks suggest that "China's communists think no one should ever complain about their brazen meddling," Chang told VOA on Thursday. Chang and others raised concerns about China's interference in South Korean politics and elections at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, held last week in Washington. At a forum held Friday at CPAC, Fred Fleitz, vice chair of the America First Policy Institute's Center for American Security, said, "South Korea plays a crucial role in promoting security in the Asia Pacific, and it is a key strategic ally of the United States." "That obviously gives strong motivations to China and North Korea to undermine South Korea, to create domestic instability, knowing that it will advance their interests and undermine American and global security," he continued. "So this election fraud issue is part of a much bigger security challenge," Fleitz added. Disinformation campaign China has been accused of attempting to interfere in elections in other democratic countries, including the U.S. and Australia. It is also accused of operating campaigns to influence politics and alter public opinion through media in European countries, including the U.K. and Germany. "There is certainly Chinese influence to shape [South] Korean public opinion in a direction that would favor PRC interests," said Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution's Center for Asia Policy Studies, using China's official name, the People's Republic of China. "This includes support for South Korean candidates who might adopt a more conciliatory approach to China. But I have not seen direct evidence of how China has been directly involved in election interference. If the allegations of Chinese interference are true, those allegations would be troubling and a violation of South Korean sovereignty," Yeo told VOA on Thursday. Robert Rapson, who served as charge d'affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, said, "I don't think there will be any concern on the part of the Trump administration about a transition to a new ROK government should the Constitutional Court uphold Mr. Yoon's impeachment by the National Assembly." South Korea's official name is the Republic of Korea. He said the U.S. "can effectively and reliably conduct our two nations' pressing business, regardless of whether that government is led by the DP or PPP" [the ruling People's Power Party]. Jiha Ham contributed to this report.
