{"id":2201402,"date":"2023-06-16T15:51:23","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T06:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201402"},"modified":"2023-06-19T18:25:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T09:25:47","slug":"china-needs-south-koreas-semiconductors-even-though-it-hates-yoons-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/china-needs-south-koreas-semiconductors-even-though-it-hates-yoons-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"China needs South Korea\u2019s semiconductors, even though it hates Yoon\u2019s policies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cChina long surpassed Japan in terms of trade with Korea, but recently, the situation has been deteriorating,\u201d Xing Haiming remarked during a private gathering in Seoul last month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt has been difficult, and we all know why. I will spare my words, but you can refer to our media for our sentiments.\u201d Xing then switched to Korean, proposing a toast to the future of trade and investment between China and Korea. \u201cThe \u2018in-yeon\u2019 between China and Korea is not down to fortuity!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn-yeon\u201d (\uc778\uc5f0)<\/span> is a Korean word that refers to a fateful connection or bond that endures over time.<\/span><\/p>\n The link between Korea and China dates back millennia, and China typically positions itself as the \u201c<\/span>elder brother<\/span><\/a>\u201d in this equation in accordance with Confucian hierarchy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This condescending attitude permeates bilateral relations today, with China continually expecting respect from its former tributary state.<\/span><\/p>\n Nevertheless, there\u2019s an undertone of desperation emanating from China, particularly regarding the intertwined economies of the two nations and the pivotal role of South Korean semiconductors in its industry.<\/span><\/p>\n Experts predict that ROK-China trade will soon become impossible to disentangle from politics, making it more likely that China will soon put its market size behind a haymaker aimed at the South Korean export-dependent economy.<\/span><\/p>\n TWO STAGES OF GRIEF<\/b><\/p>\n As its rivalry with the U.S. intensifies by the year, China has been exerting pressure on South Korea to dissuade it from joining <\/span>Washington\u2019s initiatives<\/span><\/a> in the Indo-Pacific, which, in essence, aim to circumvent Beijing\u2019s reach into critical supply chains and production sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n The previous Moon Jae-in administration pursued a <\/span>diplomatic tightrope<\/span><\/a>, maintaining high-level exchanges with Beijing to avoid provoking Beijing. However, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has resolutely <\/span>aligned<\/span><\/a> with the U.S. and Japan, prioritizing shared liberal democratic values that uphold a free and open regional order.<\/span><\/p>\n Beijing\u2019s initial disbelief at South Korea\u2019s pronounced shift has evolved into seething anger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tensions were further exacerbated by Yoon\u2019s public comments regarding the South China Sea and Taiwan. In an interview with <\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/i><\/a> in April, Yoon framed Taiwan as a \u201cglobal issue\u201d akin to North Korea and asserted his opposition to any forceful change of the status quo in the Indo-Pacific.<\/span><\/p>\n Criticizing Yoon as a \u201cpetty man\u201d and a \u201csleepwalker,\u201d Chinese state-run tabloid newspaper <\/span>The Global Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> has dubbed him \u201cthe most unfriendly South Korean president to China\u201d since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations, accusing him of steering his country onto an \u201cevil path.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The vitriolic exchanges escalated when the South Korean Embassy in Beijing <\/span>lodged a complaint<\/span><\/a> against the tabloid. The embassy took issue with the paper\u2019s \u201csensationalist, provocative and inappropriate language\u201d used in its commentary, stating it \u201cdisparaged\u201d the South Korean president.<\/span><\/p>\n