[INTERVIEW] 'Taiwan is part of China,' says Chinese ambassador

Chinese ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming speaks during an interview with The Korea Times and its sister paper, Hankook Ilbo, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and China, at the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Aug. 2. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-suk

Ambassador Xing Haiming criticizes Chip 4, calls for including China in US-led semiconductor alliance

By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea and China established diplomatic relations on Aug. 24, 1992, which was a historic turning point in their bilateral relations. Thirty years have passed since the establishment of diplomatic relations and China now has become South Korea's No. 1 trade partner. China's relations with North Korea have also put the former's relations with the South to the test.

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming, who was part of the working-level negotiations when the two countries established diplomatic relations three decades ago, said the two countries agreed to forge those relations to put an end to the Cold War era, contribute to regional and world peace, and to benefit the people of both countries.

"One of the most memorable negotiations was the Taiwan issue. [South] Korea agreed to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate government of China and Taiwan is part of China," Xing noted during an interview with The Korea Times and its sister newspaper, Hankook Ilbo, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and China at the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, central Seoul.

The interview was held on Aug. 2, the day when U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived on the self-governed island of Taiwan.

Ambassador Xing said China expressed worries over Pelosi's visit to Taiwan multiple times, as her visit could send the wrong signal to the pro-independence camp on the island.

"Pelosi is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. government and her visit to Taiwan would harm China-U.S. ties as it is part of the U.S.' attempt to subdue China using Taiwan," Xing said.

"The U.S. agreed upon the One China Policy and only has an unofficial relationship with Taiwan. Pelosi's visit might mar the agreement between China and the U.S. and we will take resolute measures against the attempts to infringe on the One China Policy," he said.

Xing emphasized that the One China Policy is included in the statement of South Korea-China ties and he expects the South Korean government to support the original resolution on bilateral relations.

"I hope for Korea to understand and support China's concerns regarding the One China Policy and to develop bilateral ties in a future-oriented way based on what we began with," he said.

He reiterated the One China policy multiple times during the interview, as it took place amid the heightened military tensions between the United States and China over Pelosi's Taiwan visit. The two countries launched major military shows of force during her Asia trip. After Taiwan, Pelosi visited South Korea and then Japan. The U.S. House Speaker met National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and had a 40-minute phone conversation with President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was on summer vacation at that time.

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'Chip 5,' instead of 'Chip 4'

South Korea's relations with China have been put to the test as Seoul has been increasingly asked to take the side of either the United States or China.

The U.S. has invited South Korea to join its semiconductor alliance, the "Chip 4," also including Japan and Taiwan, to build a cooperative platform for the chip supply chain. But South Korea has not yet responded to the invitation.

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China has been critical of the U.S.-led semiconductor partnership, as the country views the Chip 4 as part of the U.S.' technology strategy to isolate China.

The Chinese ambassador proposed a "Chip 5" alliance, which calls for including China, instead of the "Chip 4" alliance.

"Personally, I think the Chip 4 alliance would do no good in the global semiconductor supply chain," he said.

"If it is truly for the global chip supply chain, it should be a Chip 5, including China. China's semiconductor industry is growing ― China designs and produces chips and has a large market for chips. We cannot agree on an alliance excluding China while it should promote a stable supply chain for the world and global development," Xing said.

The ambassador expressed concerns over leaving China out of the global chip supply chain plan.

"In China, we have raised concerns over the Chip 4 alliance to not exclude China and urged the participating countries to be more prudent regarding the alliance," he said.

Xing said China respects South Korea's diplomatic policies and would not interfere with it developing ties with other countries such as the U.S.

"The South Korea-U.S. alliance is a product of specific historical conditions and its influence is not limited to South Korea and the U.S. The advancement of South Korea-U.S. relations should not be at the cost of harming China-Korea ties or China's interest," he said.

No to THAAD

Xing's counterpart, new South Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho, arrived in Beijing and began his term there earlier this month.

"I had met with Ambassador Chung before he departed for Bejing. We pledged to develop ties between China and [South] Korea for the future in our respective positions," Xing said.

"I hope for Chung to meet various people in China to maximize benefits for both China and [South] Korea. Of course, China and [South] Korea have differences, but we should do so in the spirit of seeking common ground while setting aside differences and be considerate of each other," Xing said, citing the Chinese phrase, 求同存異 (qiu tong cun yi).

Ahead of Chung's arrival, the Chinese foreign affairs ministry reaffirmed the so-called "Three Nos" policy on the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment, calling for no additional THAAD deployment, no South Korean integration into a U.S.-led regional missile defense system and no trilateral alliance with the U.S. and Japan.

South Korea and China are at odds on the Three Nos. Foreign Minister Park Jin said there was no agreement between the two sides over the policy.

"This is an issue about South Korea's security sovereignty," Park said during a National Assembly interpellation session held on July 25. "It goes without saying, security sovereignty is something on which we need to make our own decision. Therefore, it is unacceptable if China pushes us to do this or that just because China and South Korea have made promises."

The THAAD issue is likely to be discussed when Park visits China from Monday to Wednesday, including talks with his counterpart, Wang Yi, on Tuesday.

Xing noted that THAAD is a "very sensitive" issue to China as it is directly related to its national security.

"Even Chinese people would be very touchy about the THAAD issue. The U.S. brought the THAAD to [South] Korea and deployed the system in a country closest to China. The THAAD's X-band radar has a range of 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers and it makes China nervous amid the rising China-U.S. tensions," he said.

"We expect [South] Korea to understand China's position and hope to deal with the THAAD issue in an appropriate way," Xing said.