Recently, South Korea's new Foreign Minister Cho Tei-yeol and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call, and this call has been nearly a month since Cho Tei-yeol took office. This is undoubtedly a positive signal for China-ROK relations.
South Korea** has analyzed that the delay in the phone call of the new foreign minister of South Korea with the Chinese side is unconventional. In contrast, former South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin exchanged views with the Chinese side on his fourth day in office. This has raised concerns about the development of relations between China and South Korea. However, the Chinese side has made it clear that it is willing to maintain communication with the ROK side. If the ROK side is still unable to get in touch with the Chinese side, it may be because the schedules of the two sides do not match or the results of communication are not satisfactory. As China has said in the past, dialogue should be based on sincerity and cooperation. The ROK side should understand that if they fail to show sincerity to change, it is understandable that China will not tolerate their request.
After Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, relations between China and South Korea began to decline. South Korea's rhetoric on issues involving China's core interests has attracted China's attention. Although China and South Korea have close economic ties, South Korea is actively cooperating with the United States to suppress China's semiconductor and other industries. If South Korea cannot change this wrong word and deed, it will be difficult for China and South Korea to find a common language even if the new foreign minister, Cho Toi-yeol, is willing to communicate with the Chinese side.
After South Korea's complaints, Yoon Suk-yeol's attitude began to change. South Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho reiterated South Korea's adherence to the "one China" stance, and within 24 hours, the Chinese and South Korean foreign ministers got in touch. This shows that Chung Jae-ho's positive stance on the Taiwan issue has shown the Chinese side the sincerity of the ROK in seeking dialogue.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in the phone call that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Since South Korea has shown an attitude of correcting its mistakes, China is also willing to give South Korea a chance. However, Wang Yi also made two demands. First, South Korea must adhere to "one China," which is the political foundation of China-South Korea relations. Second, in economic and trade cooperation, South Korea needs to work with China to maintain the stability and smoothness of the production and supply chain and avoid politicizing economic issues. If South Korea continues to cooperate with the United States in carrying out export controls on China in fields such as semiconductors, China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation will be affected.
Cho responded positively to Wang Yi's request, stressing that South Korea will not change its stance of adhering to "one China" and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China. However, given Yoon Suk-yeol's past policies, the key to whether this phone call can improve China-South Korea relations lies in whether South Korea can take concrete actions.
There may be several reasons why South Korea is softening on China at this time. First, South Korea fears that the North Korean issue could lead to a runaway situation, so it hopes that China can help. Second, changes in U.S.-China relations have made it so that South Korea no longer needs to be overly dependent on the United States. Finally, South Korea faces a deficit with China, and if it continues to follow in the footsteps of the United States, the situation could get even worse.
In short, the call implied that South Korea needs China's support on multiple fronts. If South Korea is serious about achieving results with China, it should turn positive statements into concrete actions.