China called in South Korean Ambassador Chung Jae-ho and lodged a complaint, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Sunday, in a tit-for-tat after the Chinese ambassador to Seoul was summoned over remarks warning Seoul against betting against China.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong met with the South Korean envoy on Saturday and expressed serious concerns and a complaint over what it called an unfair response that South Korea showed about a meeting between Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.
Xing said during Thursday’s meeting with Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, that it is a wrong bet to believe that China will lose in the rivalry with the United States. He also warned that “those betting on China’s defeat will certainly regret it later.”
On Friday, South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin called in Xing and “sternly warned” against the envoy’s “unreasonable and provocative” remarks. Chang also warned Xing’s remarks could be seen as interference of South Korea’s domestic politics.
During Saturday’s meeting, the Chinese assistant minister explained Beijing’s stance on relations with South Korea and said it is part of Xing’s duties to meet with people from various circles of the host nation with the purpose of promoting understanding and facilitating cooperation.
The Chinese official also asked South Korea to reflect on where the problem lies in relations between the two countries, respect the spirit of the joint statement adopted when the two countries established diplomatic relations, and work with China for a healthy and stable development of relations, according to the ministry.
Source: Yonhap News Agency