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| People gather at the Chinese Visa Application Center in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
Korea and China have found a fresh stumbling block in their bilateral relations. The mild improvement that had been seen between the governments following a feud over the Korean government's quarantine regulations which raised the ire of Beijing. China has complained of Seoul siding with the United States over the recent spy balloon controversy.
In late January, a Chinese surveillance balloon was found to have entered U.S. airspace and floated over sensitive military sites in Montana. A U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter eventually shot it down. Korea and China have exchanged words over the issue.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, its Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met with Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho, Tuesday. Sun clarified China's position on the U.S.' shooting down of the "unmanned Chinese civilian airship" and hoped that the South Korean side could distinguish right from wrong to make an objective, rational and fair judgment.
The statement from the Chinese government comes after 1st Vice Minister Cho Hyun-dong showed support for the U.S over the balloon saga following his meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Mori Takeo in Washington, D.C., on Monday (local time).
"We have already made it clear that any infringement of other countries' territorial sovereignty can never be tolerated, against which the necessary measures can be taken in accordance with international law," Cho said during a press conference.
"That is our clear position on this issue. And we also expect that there will be some opportunity for high-level dialogue with China by sitting down together on this issue sometime in the future."
In response, the Korean foreign ministry maintains that violation of the territorial sovereignty of other countries cannot be tolerated under international law.
"We believe that it is important for China to sufficiently explain this situation to the international community in a transparent manner," the ministry said in a statement. "The government is in necessary communication with the Chinese side and is monitoring related trends."
The possible flashpoint in the Korea-China relations also comes as the two sides have virtually put an end to the "quarantine conflict" that continued over the past month.
On Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said China will restart the issuance of short-term visas for Koreans on Saturday in response to Korea's resumption of short-term visas for travelers from China.
Last week, Korea resumed issuing short-term visas for Chinese visitors following the peaking of China's COVID-19 infection wave and virus situation entering a phase of stabilization.
In early January, the Korean government tightened curbs on travelers from China amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the neighboring nation. China suspended short-term visa issuance for South Koreans in apparent retaliation for what it called "discriminatory" entry restrictions.
Amid an intensifying rivalry between the U.S. and China, Beijing has made efforts to have Seoul distance itself from Washington as it perceives Korea as the weakest link in the U.S. alliance network.
However, President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to make a shift in diplomacy and place the alignment with the U.S. at the center of his foreign policy priorities.
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