As tensions between China and Japan intensify over Taiwan, Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, on November 11 criticized, "Japan's new prime minister has recently made negative remarks about China, which are unacceptable from China's perspective," adding, "This will also have a negative impact on the sound development of China-Japan relations."
Ambassador Xing made these remarks in a congratulatory address at the Korea-China Think Tank Dialogue, held at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of November 11. The event was hosted by the Global Strategic Cooperation Institute under the theme "A New Leap Forward in the Korea-China Strategic Cooperative Partnership." His comments are interpreted as a response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's statement at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on November 7, where she said that Japan could exercise collective self-defense in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The conflict between China and Japan appears to be escalating over Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks.
Regarding Korea-China relations, Ambassador Xing said that, following the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, "a new phase has begun," and stressed, "Both countries should faithfully implement the agreements reached by our leaders to ensure that bilateral relations continue to develop stably and over the long term." However, targeting the United States, he emphasized, "Korea-China relations do not target a third party, nor are they constrained by a third party," and added, "The two countries must firmly resist external interference with strong strategic autonomy."
In particular, he stated, "Some far-right groups in Korea are fabricating malicious rumors about China and staging anti-China protests, which not only harm Korea-China friendship but also damage Korea's national image," and demanded, "Korea must take concrete and fundamental measures to resolve this issue."
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