China summons S. Korean envoy to express discontent over Biden-Yoon's Taiwan statement

After South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol concluded his trip to the United States, China summoned a senior diplomat from South Korea on Thursday. According to the South China Morning Post, Beijing summoned the South Korean diplomat to express their “strong dissatisfaction” over the two nation’s joint statement on China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region. As per the report by the Chinese news outlet, the Director of Asian Affairs at the Chinese Foreign Ministry held a meeting with South Korean embassy minister Kang Sang-Wook. In the meeting, Beijing urged Seoul to adhere to the one-China policy. 

The meeting came after the US and South Korea called for an establishment of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. In the joint statement, it was stated that both Yoon and his American counterpart strongly opposed “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific”. “Importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the region,” they reiterated.  Both the nations pledged to preserve, “unimpeded commerce, freedom of navigation and overflight, and other lawful use of the sea, including in the South China Sea and beyond,” as per the report by SCMP. 

What are the Chinese claims?

The Chinese claim on Taiwan and the South China Sea is well known. While Taiwan has a democratically elected government, Beijing regards the island region as a breakaway province. Most countries in the world, including the US and South Korea, do not consider Taiwan a sovereign nation since to establish diplomatic communications with China, one has to adhere to Beijing’s “One China Policy”. Meanwhile, China also claims much of the South China Sea and has indulged in territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. 

In the midst of all the chaos, diplomatic ties between the United States and South Korea increased under the Yoon administration. During Yeol’s visit, he and his American counterpart announced a key agreement on Wednesday to deter the aims of North Korea in the Korean peninsula. According to CNN, the deal included the US' commitment to deploy nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea. This will be the first time since the 1980s that nuclear-armed weapons will be deployed in South Korean waters. “The alliance formed in war and has flourished in peace,” Biden said from the White House. “Our mutual defence treaty is iron clad and that includes our commitment to extend a deterrence – and that includes the nuclear threat, the nuclear deterrent,” he added as per the report by CNN. Following the announcement of the agreement, China has expressed its displeasure over it and urged the two leaders to not provoke Pyongyang.