During the Week, Korean Embassy Expresses Regret Over China's 'Interference' Remarks

"Expectations for Full-Scale China-Korea Exchanges After the Two Sessions"

The Korean Embassy in China expressed regret over the Chinese government's remarks describing Foreign Minister Park Jin's comments on Taiwan as "interference."

A senior official at the Korean Embassy in China met with Korean media correspondents on the 6th and said, "Minister Park's remarks explained the basic position our government has consistently stated regarding the Taiwan issue," adding, "We find it regrettable." The official further explained, "Our government maintains a consistent stance that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important for regional security and prosperity, and we hope that tensions in the region will ease through dialogue and cooperation. Under this position, we will continue to closely monitor related developments."

Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, Minister Park Jin stated in an interview with the U.S. CNN regarding military tensions in the Taiwan Strait, "South Korea opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by force," and added, "If anything happens in the Taiwan Strait, we must maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula because it directly affects our country."

Five days later, on the 27th of last month, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded at a regular briefing, "The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, and we do not tolerate interference from others." He used the somewhat strong expression '불용치훼 (不容置喙),' meaning that interference will not be tolerated.

However, the Chinese Embassy also expressed expectations that exchanges between Korea and China will become more active after the conclusion of the Lianghui (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), China's largest annual political event. On the same day, Korean Ambassador to China Jeong Jae-ho said at a regular briefing held at the Korean Embassy in China, "Senior officials from local governments such as Shandong Province and Liaoning Province have expressed their intention to visit Korea," adding, "We expect Korea-China exchanges to become more active after the Lianghui." He continued, "Air routes between Korea and China will also improve, strengthening people-to-people exchanges," and explained, "We will continue discussions with relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to operate flights daily."