Chinese Ambassador to Korea: "Korea-China Public Favorability Decline Requires Mutual Attention"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Jong-min] Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, expressed concern over the worsening public opinion of China in Korea and called for cooperation between the media of both countries.

Ambassador Xing attended the publication ceremony of the friendship essay collection "Remembering Thirst" commemorating the 30th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations, held on the 4th at the President Hotel in Seoul. He stated, "In 2022, the international situation was complex and unpredictable, bringing uncertainty to Korea-China relations and causing a decline in mutual favorability among the peoples of both countries. We need to take a close look at this." He added, "Some media outlets exaggerate negative information between Korea and China, negatively influencing public opinion and sentiment. Media representatives from both countries present here should guide Koreans to perceive China and Korea-China relations objectively and rationally."

Eubocheon, Secretary-General of the Korea-China-Japan Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat. Professors Jaeho Hwang of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Byunghyun Kwon, former Korean Ambassador to China, Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Korea, and Yongjun Choi, Director-General for Northeast Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (from left to right) are posing for a commemorative photo.

Regarding this, Ambassador Xing mentioned that he met with Bang Sang-hoon, president of Chosun Ilbo, in the afternoon and asked for his cooperation, saying, "Last year is in the past, and I said let's do well this year, and I received an OK." His remarks are interpreted as a signal not to further escalate the suspicions related to the Chinese secret police that surfaced at the end of last year.

Ambassador Xing delivered his congratulatory speech in fluent Korean, saying, "The 30 years of Korea-China diplomatic relations is a model of cooperation between countries with different ideologies," and even quoted the hit song "Meeting" by singer Noh Sa-yeon. He emphasized the Chinese expression ‘불망초심 (不忘初心)’ meaning "do not forget the original intention," telling former Ambassador Kwon Byung-hyun, "Our meeting is not a coincidence. It was a wish in my heart."

Former Ambassador Kwon, who led the negotiations for establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, also emphasized, "The establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations was the biggest celebration in this region and the world," and added, "Even though there are difficulties in Korea-China relations, exchanges between the peoples are important." He said, "When these exchanges were blocked, Korea-China relations were at their most difficult, and when they were opened, the relations between the two countries developed tremendously like a bursting dam."

Hwang Jae-ho, president of the Global Strategy Cooperation Institute, explained about this essay collection, "Although there have been regrettable times in the relations between the two countries over the past few years, we wanted to understand them as growing pains toward a better relationship and to look at the past, present, and future of the 30 years of diplomatic relations from the generation of the establishment of relations to the current younger generation."