China needs South Korea’s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon’s policies



Analysis China needs South Korea’s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon’s policies Experts say Beijing may use economic coercion again as Seoul embraces US leadership, but it can only push so far Sooyoung OhJune 16, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON President Yoon Suk-yeol presides over a meeting focused on semiconductors, June 8, 2023 \| Image: ROK Presidential Office The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea may have thought his jest was innocuous, but the silence that met his joke in a room of South Korean attendees suggested otherwise. A few scattered chuckles among the Chinese attendees did little to alleviate the discomfort. “China long surpassed Japan in terms of trade with Korea, but recently, the situation has been deteriorating,” Xing Haiming remarked during a private gathering in Seoul last month. “It has been difficult, and we all know why. I will spare my words, but you can refer to our media for our sentiments.” Xing then switched to Korean, © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 02North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 03South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 04AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 05South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 06Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 07Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility 08US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks

Analysis

China needs South Korea’s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon’s policies

Experts say Beijing may use economic coercion again as Seoul embraces US leadership, but it can only push so far

Sooyoung OhJune 16, 2023

China needs South Korea’s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon’s policies

President Yoon Suk-yeol presides over a meeting focused on semiconductors, June 8, 2023 | Image: ROK Presidential Office

The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea may have thought his jest was innocuous, but the silence that met his joke in a room of South Korean attendees suggested otherwise. A few scattered chuckles among the Chinese attendees did little to alleviate the discomfort.

“China long surpassed Japan in terms of trade with Korea, but recently, the situation has been deteriorating,” Xing Haiming remarked during a private gathering in Seoul last month.

“It has been difficult, and we all know why. I will spare my words, but you can refer to our media for our sentiments.” Xing then switched to Korean,

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls
02North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
03South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus
04AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline
05South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics
06Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement
07Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility
08US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks

China needs South Korea’s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon’s policies

LATEST ANALYSIS

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Sooyoung Oh