Beijing summons South Korean envoy over ‘totally unacceptable’ Taiwan comments by President Yoon
- President Yoon Suk-yeol’s comments equating Taiwan to the South and North Korea issue has sparked a war of words with Beijing
- The two issues ‘are completely different in nature’, vice foreign minister Sun Weidong says after summoning the South Korean ambassador
This comes after Yoon said increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait were due to attempts to change the status quo by force, and that he opposed such a change.
The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between mainland China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is “a global issue”, Yoon told Reuters last week.
“The … remarks [by Yoon] are totally unacceptable and China expresses its grave concern and strong dissatisfaction,” Sun told South Korean ambassador Chung Jae-ho, according to a foreign ministry statement issued on Sunday.
“The issue of the Korean peninsula and the issue of Taiwan are completely different in nature and latitude and are not comparable at all.”
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Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province under its one-China principle, and has not ruled out using force to take back control. Most countries – including South Korea and its major ally the US – do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, but are opposed to any forcible change in the status quo.
State-affiliated Chinese tabloid Global Times also criticised Yoon’s remarks, calling them “not only inappropriate, but also a mistake of a serious nature”.
“This statement by the Yoon Seok-yeol government on the Taiwan issue is the most egregious statement by the South Korean side since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992,” it said.
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Sun said the main cause of tensions in the Taiwan Strait was the island’s secessionist activities with outside support.
“We urge the Korean side to effectively abide by the spirit of the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, adhere to the one-China principle and be careful in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue,” Sun said.
Chung said South Korea has always respected the one-China principle and that this position has not changed.
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On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called on South Korea to “abide by the one-China principle and handle the Taiwan issue prudently”.
Wang’s comments drew a swift backlash from Seoul. Summoning Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming hours later, South Korean First Vice Foreign minister Chang Ho-jin said Wang’s remarks were “rude” and amounted to a “serious diplomatic discourtesy”.
But Beijing doubled down on Friday, saying the South Korean foreign ministry’s comments were “erroneous” and China had lodged its own concerns on the issue.
