Photo : Screenshot of CCTV Footage
Report: President Lee Jae Myung says South Korea respects the “one-China” policy.
Ahead of his four-day state visit to China beginning on Sunday, Lee held an interview with China’s CCTV in his office.
[Sound bite: Preisdent Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“I can clearly say that I, myself, respect ‘one China,’ and that peace and stability is very important in Northeast Asia and surrounding issues, including cross-strait matters.”
“When it comes to the Taiwan issue, which is the biggest pending issue for China, there is no change in [South Korea’s] position of respecting the one-China [policy].”
The one China policy is an acknowledgement of Beijing’s view that there is only one sovereign China and Taiwan is part of it.
Lee’s remarks came amid the heightened tensions over Taiwan between Washington and Beijing. Beijing staged massive military drills around Taiwan this week after Washington announced its plans to provide a large-scale weapons package for Taipei.
Lee however made it clear that Seoul-Washington ties do not necessarily entail confrontations with Beijing, saying that South Korea’s strategic autonomy is important.
[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“We cannot avoid cooperation with the United States in terms of security because it’s a military alliance. Also, it is true that economic ties are deepening [with the U.S.]. However, a confrontational or conflicting relationship between South Korea and China would not be in South Korea’s national interest at all.”
Ahead of the upcoming South Korea-China summit scheduled on Monday, Lee called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “leader with a broad vision.”
The South Korean president said he wants to have regularly meetings with Xi, at least once a year.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.