China Expresses Dissatisfaction with South Korea-US Summit: "Taiwan Issue Is China's Internal Affair, Do Not Interfere"

China's Foreign Ministry Clarifies Position Two Days After Joint US-Korea Statement
Criticism Milder Than Toward Japan... Reaffirms 'One China' Principle

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the South Korea-US summit. However, the intensity of the dissatisfaction was weaker than that shown after the US-Japan summit.

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 24th, "We have closely followed the joint statement after the South Korea-US summit," and added, "China expresses concern about the content of the joint statement." The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised objections to the inclusion of the words Taiwan and South China Sea in the joint statement.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Zhao emphasized, "The Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair," and stated, "Any interference by external forces is unacceptable." He added, "Relevant countries should be cautious in their words and actions regarding the Taiwan issue and must not play with fire."

Regarding sovereignty over the South China Sea, he said, "All countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law," and firmly stated, "Therefore, there is no South China Sea issue."

South Korea and the US, in their joint statement following the summit on the 21st (local time), emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. This was the first time that South Korea and the US publicly mentioned the Taiwan issue in a joint statement.

Regarding the South China Sea, South Korea and the US pledged to maintain respect for international law, including peace and stability in the South China Sea and other areas, as well as freedom of legitimate and unimpeded commerce, navigation, and overflight.

However, the position expressed by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this day was less intense than that during last month's US-Japan summit. The joint statement after the US-Japan summit mentioned not only the Taiwan issue but also Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tibet, the South China Sea, and the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Dao in Chinese). At that time, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested, saying it was "a rough interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations."

Some view the Chinese side's response this time as a calibrated adjustment. While emphasizing that the "One China" principle remains unchanged, there was no overt criticism of the South Korean government. Regarding the South China Sea, China merely reiterated its existing position that all countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.

Chinese state media also evaluated the outcome of the South Korea-US summit by stating that the South Korean government did not cross the line. China's core interest is that South Korea maintained its existing principles and stance on Taiwan. Additionally, unlike Japan, South Korea was assessed as not abandoning relative neutrality.

In this regard, a source in Beijing said, "South Korea has set a policy to harmoniously develop the strategic partnership between China and South Korea based on a strong South Korea-US alliance," and emphasized, "This summit did not deviate from South Korea's policy." The source also reiterated, "We are communicating with the Chinese side in various and close ways regarding the South Korea-US summit."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.