Crystal Dike
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday said his country would remain neutral in the escalating diplomatic row between Japan and China, urging both nations to coexist peacefully amid rising regional tensions.
Tokyo and Beijing have been locked in a war of words following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that Japan could intervene militarily should China invade Taiwan. The remarks triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from Beijing, which later urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.
Speaking at a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday, President Lee warned that taking sides would only deepen tensions in the region.
“The ideal approach is to coexist, respect one another, and cooperate as much as possible,” he said, describing Northeast Asia as a “highly dangerous region in terms of military security.”
The dispute has already disrupted several cultural engagements, including the cancellation of a Japanese singer’s performance in Shanghai.
China regards self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under its control.
Lee, who has sought to improve relations with China after years of strained ties under his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, met Chinese President Xi Jinping last month on the sidelines of the APEC summit held in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. Seoul described the meeting as an opportunity to reset bilateral relations.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Lee said the talks with Xi had been “interesting” and added that he hopes to visit China soon.
“He was, unexpectedly, quite good at making jokes,” the South Korean leader said.
During the November talks, President Xi presented two Xiaomi smartphones to Lee, who jokingly asked, “Is the communication line secure?”
Pointing to the devices, Xi replied: “You should check if there is a backdoor,” referring to pre-installed software that could allow third-party monitoring.