China Criticizes President Yoon's 'Taiwan Remarks' Ahead of ROK-US Summit

China is escalating its level of criticism day by day regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's foreign media interview statement that "China opposes any change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the early morning of the 23rd, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, lodged a solemn protest through diplomatic channels to Jeong Jae-ho, South Korea's ambassador to China, on the 20th. Vice Minister Sun referred to President Yoon's remarks and stated, "These remarks are absolutely unacceptable, and the Chinese side expresses serious concerns and strong dissatisfaction."

In the statement released that day, China used the word "Fengming" (奉命, meaning to follow orders), indicating that the protest was made under instructions. The term Fengming was previously used when summoning the U.S. ambassador to China to protest shortly after the U.S. House Speaker's visit to Taiwan in August last year, and again in February when China lodged a stern protest with the U.S. over the balloon incident.

Additionally, China specifically described its grievances, noting that President Yoon did not mention the "One China" principle in the interview and compared the Taiwan issue with the Korean Peninsula issue.

On the other hand, regarding Ambassador Jeong's remarks, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs only released one sentence stating that South Korea consistently respects the "One China" principle and that there has been no change in this position. The state-run Global Times blatantly revealed that China's offensive is related to the South Korea-U.S. summit. In an editorial titled "South Korea's Diplomatic Dignity Shattered," the Global Times said, "President Yoon's recent remarks on the Taiwan issue represent the worst stance South Korea has expressed since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992," adding, "The Taiwan issue is a domestic matter and not a global issue, and it is fundamentally different from the inter-Korean issue, so they cannot be compared."

Earlier, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on the 20th that President Yoon's remarks were a diplomatic rudeness that "does not allow interference," and on the 21st, Minister Qin Gang, without specifying President Yoon, used a harsh expression close to a slur, saying, "Those who play with fire over the Taiwan issue will surely be burned to death."

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