[The Editors' Verdict] China's 'Wolf Warrior Diplomacy': Time for Minister Park Jin to Step Up

I asked an acquaintance who frequently interacts with Chinese officials about Xing Haiming, the Chinese ambassador to South Korea. The response was, "He might stay in Korea for quite some time." This implied that the Chinese authorities have great trust in Ambassador Xing and are unlikely to replace him.

Regarding Ambassador Xing Haiming, who told Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, "Those who bet on China's defeat will surely regret it later," the People Power Party raised the need to designate him as a persona non grata, a diplomatic pariah. It is understood that not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which summoned Ambassador Xing, but also the Presidential Office, have stepped in to demand appropriate measures. Negative remarks about Ambassador Xing from President Yoon Suk-yeol were also conveyed.

The acquaintance’s prediction that China’s stance would differ soon became reality. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret over "some media targeting Ambassador Xing personally with reports that are inconsistent with facts and even personal attacks," along with South Korea’s related statements, effectively rejecting the South Korean government’s request. They made it clear that they would not recall the wolf engaged in ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’ according to their own guidelines. On the contrary, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, who has taken a sharp offensive on behalf of the Chinese government’s position, even said that South Korea seems to have become a ‘second Australia.’ By mentioning Australia, which suffered economic damage due to conflicts with China, he was attempting to intimidate South Korea.

Diplomatic controversies involving Chinese diplomats continue worldwide. After the US-UK summit, concerned about China’s technology theft, the Chinese Embassy in the UK responded by calling UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s remarks ‘xinkou cihuang (信口雌黃, speaking recklessly without regard to facts).’ The Chinese ambassador to Japan said, "Attempts to link China’s internal affairs with Japan’s security are extremely harmful and will drag the Japanese people into the flames." Such diplomatic conflicts with China are concentrated on the Group of Seven (G7) countries led by the United States and Australia, which participates in the Indo-Pacific strategy. Now, South Korea is no exception.

China’s intention is clear: it will never yield diplomatically. In this situation, the conflict between a single ambassador and the South Korean government is burdensome. Ambassadors act according to their country’s directives. Ambassador Xing’s remarks likely reflected the Chinese government’s guidelines. Changing one ambassador will not make a difference. The ‘Yuan Sky’-style remarks advising the South Korean opposition are no different from the United States. Former US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris, who pressured South Korea for a large defense cost-sharing payment under former President Donald Trump’s policy, was even called the ‘Governor-General of Joseon.’

If the South Korean government designates Ambassador Xing Haiming as a diplomatic pariah, it is highly likely that Chung Jae-ho, the South Korean ambassador to China, will face the same measure. In such a situation, it will be difficult to protect the interests of South Korean companies and citizens from the anticipated deterioration of Korea-China relations. Even during heightened Korea-Japan conflicts, there was no diplomatic vacancy. At this point, Foreign Minister Park Jin should step forward. Minister Park and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang should have a phone call or meet directly at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in Indonesia next month to manage the crisis. That is the duty of diplomats.

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