Chinese Embassy in Seoul lambasts Taiwan envoy's 'One China' interpretation

Gow-wei Chiou, third from left, the head of the Taiwanese mission to South Korea, delivers congratulatory remarks during a seminar hosted by Rep. Park Soo-young of the main opposition People Power Party at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Jan. 12. [YONHAP]

 
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul late Tuesday dismissed remarks by Taiwan’s top envoy to Korea as "sheer nonsense" after he suggested that the “One China” principle respected by Seoul does not necessarily refer to Beijing.
 
The embassy issued a spokesperson’s statement a day after Gow-wei Chiou, head of the Taipei Representative Office in Seoul, made the comments at a seminar hosted by Rep. Park Soo-young of the main opposition People Power Party.
 
Chiou was responding to a question about President Lee Jae Myung’s recent interview with a Chinese media, in which Lee reaffirmed Korea’s respect for the One-China policy. Chiou said the principle “may not necessarily mean the People’s Republic of China,” adding that it could also refer to the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name.
 
In its statement, the Chinese Embassy said the remarks violated widely recognized norms of international relations and challenged Korea’s commitment to the One-China principle as pledged in the joint communiqué establishing diplomatic relations between Seoul and Beijing.
 
The embassy added that both China and Korea firmly oppose such statements, warning that attempts to exploit the Taiwan issue for political purposes would not succeed.
 
It also voiced opposition to Korean lawmakers engaging with Taiwanese officials or inviting them to events, saying any effort to undermine bilateral relations by playing the so-called “China card” would not be accepted by the people of either country.
 
China maintains that Taiwan, which has been self-governed since 1949, is part of its territory and has repeatedly objected to foreign actions or statements that challenge its position.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]