China warns South Korea: ‘The South China Sea is none of your business’
Beijing on Tuesday warned Seoul to "behave cautiously and neutrally" over China-Philippines disputes in the South China Sea. China's Foreign Ministry expressed "serious concerns" in response to its South Korean counterpart's comments about the collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal last week.
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said South Korea is not a party to the South China Sea disputes, but has "explicitly insinuated or blamed China" on the issue several times in recent years. “South Korea has moved away from the cautious and neutral position it has maintained for many years,” Wang said. China has "always made timely statements and opposed" South Korea's criticism, he said. “I once again call on South Korea to exercise caution, refrain from following the trend of blowing up the issue, and avoid unnecessarily burdening China-South Korea relations.” A warning that has a bit of the flavor of the film “The Godfather”.
Lim Soo-suk, a spokesperson for South Korea's Foreign Ministry, said late Thursday that Seoul was "deeply concerned about the dangerous situation" and "the use of water cannons against Philippine ships in the South China Sea." “ We support the maintenance of peace, stability and a rules-based order in the South China Sea, as well as freedom of navigation and overflight based on the principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said. said Lim. The South Korean embassy in Manila also expressed its concerns on its social media account.
Seoul's position could not be different
The international situation is bringing Yoon's South Korean government increasingly closer to the positions of the Western allies in the area, namely Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan. The greater hostility of North Korea, with the Pyingyang government now openly speaking of a prospect of war between the two countries, makes this move almost obligatory. So Seoul can only show closeness to the most politically compatible countries.
The remarks came after yet another clash between China and the Philippines on Tuesday near the Second Thomas Shoal, a recurring point of confrontation between the two sides over the past year. The Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese vessel of ramming and damaging one of its vessels and injuring four Philippine crew members with water cannons.
In this dispute, Seoul aligns itself with Manile's positions, which in turn is supported by Tokyo and Washington. However, Chinese expansionism, based on the contestation of internationally established border lines , is arousing more and more reactions among neighboring countries.
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The article China warns South Korea: “The South China Sea is none of your business” comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cina-avverte-la-corea-del-sud-il-mar-cinese-meridionale-non-sono-fatti-tuoi/ on Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:00:31 +0000.