Foreign minister calls for 'healthy, mature' ties with China

Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks at a forum hosted by the Korean News Aeditors' Association at the Korea Press Foundation in central Seoul on Tuesday morning. [YONHAP]

Foreign Minister Park Jin said Tuesday that Korea seeks a “healthy and mature” relationship with China that is based on “mutual respect,” suggesting that the two countries could still find common ground despite deepening tensions between Seoul’s main ally Washington and Beijing over various regional issues.

The foreign minister made the remarks at a forum hosted by the Korean News Editors’ Association at the Korea Press Foundation in central Seoul to cover recent diplomatic developments, including President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attendance at the Group of 7 summit in Hiroshima this past weekend.

Pointing to the increasing bilateral and trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan, Park said that Seoul’s foreign policy had entered a “high point” and that the country’s traditional alliance with Washington would develop into a partnership based on “action, values, and justice.”

But the foreign minister also said Korea would endeavor to maintain good relations with China.

“We will pursue a healthy and mature relationship based on mutual respect,” Park said, adding, “We will strive to induce China to play a positive role in the spirit of harmony without making unilateral concessions.”

When asked if Seoul would be willing to send a special envoy to Beijing to explain the outcome of Yoon’s trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Park said there was no immediate plan to send a representative as “strategic communication with China remains important and strengthening diplomatic ties between Korea, the United States and Japan is never intended to exclude or alienate China.”

The foreign minister added that although it would be “desirable” for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Korea, Yoon would also be prepared to visit China “if necessary.”

“Our government also seeks dialogue and cooperation, not confrontation and conflict with China,” Park said, noting that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had also recently remarked on the prospect of the United States improving relations with China.

Park also said that while Korea should reduce its economic dependence on “certain countries,” this should not entail “artificially reducing” trade.

Although the foreign minister did not rule out future dialogue with North Korea, he said that the South “will not rely solely on North Korean goodwill,” but will instead “analyze North Korea’s strategies and actions through security and intelligence cooperation” with the United States and Japan.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]