Third parties should not interfere with – and were not a factor in – the relationship between China and South Korea, Beijing said on Wednesday following suggestions that Seoul would not act counter to Washington’s policy.
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“The China-South Korea relationship is based on mutual interests, is not targeted at a third party, and should not be interfered with,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
“China’s policy is consistent and stable, and we hope that South Korea will work with China to promote the continuous development of the strategic partnership.”
The statement followed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s assessment that Seoul had to rebalance its relationship with Beijing as US-China competition intensified.
At a forum hosted by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Monday, Lee said that as supply chains changed, South Korea could no longer maintain the logic of relying on the US for security and cooperating with China on the economy.
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“At this point, we cannot act or make decisions that go against America’s basic policy stance,” he said.