US-China row extended to top envoys in Seoul

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Thu, February 9, 2023 | 08:10

Foreign Affairs

US-China row extended to top envoys in Seoul

Posted : 2020-10-29 21:26

Updated : 2020-10-30 09:53

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris, right, and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming greet each other with an elbow bump during a VIP tea meeting prior to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of The Korea Times at the Lotte Hotel Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Yi Whan-woo

The top envoys to Korea of the United States and China brought up issues that each other's country is being criticized of, during their respective congratulatory speeches during a ceremony commemorating The Korea Times' 70th anniversary, Thursday.

The speeches, whether intended or not, left the impression among several participants that the Washington-Beijing row has been extended to their envoys here.

In relations with Korea and changes in the global environment, U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris mentioned the two countries' security alliance; while Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming commented on the economic cooperation between Seoul and Beijing.

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"We are here to celebrate freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the power that those inalienable rights confer on a country to choose democracy, to choose its own path forward, to determine its own destiny," Harris said. "These are values that the people of many countries here, including the United States and the Republic of Korea, share. Without a free media, a society can never reach its fullest potential."

Xing said the spread of trade protectionism, along with the COVID-19 crisis, was "sending a serious shockwave" to the world economy.

He added China and Korea, despite such unfavorable circumstances, were "doing well" among major economies.

"This is because we have come up with tailor-made measures to keep our societies under control while pursuing economic development simultaneously," he said.

Regarding the alliance, Harris said the U.S. and Korea "see the further spread of our shared fundamental values, and the hope and the security that brings not only to our alliance, but to the whole of the Indo-Pacific region."

Xing viewed China, with its new five-year economic and development plan rolled out at the fifth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party Central Committee, is able to provide the world with a wider market and opportunities.

"We expect to bolster cooperation with Korea and other countries in various sectors to seize opportunities in the post-COVID-19 world and pioneer the future," Xing said.

yistory@koreatimes.co.kr