Sing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador, Blames "Negative US Media" for Challenges in Korea-China Relations

Sing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Korea, at Kwanhun Club Debate, Highlights Challenges on 30th Anniversary of Korea-China Relations
Points Out Negative Reports from External US and Some Domestic Media

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 26th, Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, claimed that this year, marking the 30th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations, the bilateral relationship is facing a crisis due to external factors such as the United States and internal factors like worsening public sentiment. Ambassador Xing's overt hostility toward the United States drew attention.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, read aloud a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping at a reception commemorating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

In his opening remarks at a Kwanhun Club invitation discussion held at the Press Center in Jung-gu on the morning of the same day, Ambassador Xing said, “Currently, China-US relations are having a significant impact on China-Korea relations.”

Ambassador Xing stated, “China-US relations are currently on a downward path,” and criticized, “The United States is pressuring other countries by putting its own values first.”

He sharpened his tone toward the United States for much of his opening remarks, saying, “(The US) has a fixed notion that it must forever be the leader of the world,” and “They consider everything they do as just and aligned with universal values, and anything different from them is wrong; if you do not obey, they punish you.”

He added, “China has never asked other countries to take sides between China and the US,” and “China still has a long way to go and has no intention of fighting other countries to become the world’s hegemon.”

Ambassador Xing expressed regret and concern, saying, “It is very unfortunate and worrisome that the mutual favorability between Korea and China is not high,” and frankly stated, “I think one of the main causes of the current discord in public sentiment between our two peoples is that some Korean media have excessively negative coverage of China.”

He showed discomfort toward the Korean media, saying, “While I highly respect the freedom of the Korean press, if they focus excessively on negative reports and exaggerate them, it induces negative public sentiment.”

As an example, he pointed out that although China’s air quality has greatly improved recently, Korean media do not report on this.

Furthermore, regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula on the 26th, Ambassador Xing stated, “China does not want things to go in a confrontational direction.”

He said, “I cannot speak in detail, but we have contacted various parties to say let’s not escalate to a tit-for-tat confrontation, but will the US listen to China?”

In particular, in response to criticism that China is passive about North Korean sanctions at the UN Security Council, he claimed, “It is the same when talking with any country, and we say the same at the UN Security Council. We do not condone it.”

He reiterated, “If an accident happens on the Korean Peninsula, what good is it for China? China continues to call for denuclearization, peace, and resolving issues through dialogue.”

Ambassador Xing said, “To achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, cooperation with China is necessary, but the US does not do that,” and “We will do our best in the Chinese way to resolve issues through dialogue for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

He added, “You know how much effort China has made to realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” and “China created the trilateral, quadrilateral, and six-party talks, and also played a significant role as a mediator in North Korea-US dialogue.”

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