China has officially complained against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for his comments on Taiwan, which Beijing has described as “erroneous.”
Yeol had stated in a Reuters interview that tensions between China and Taiwan are a “global issue” comparable to North Korea, and attributed the heightened tensions to “attempts to change the status quo by force.”
The Chinese government tasked Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong with making a “solemn representation” to the South Korean ambassador regarding Yeol’s comments, which Weidong deemed “totally unacceptable.”
Sun urged Seoul to “adhere to the One-China Principle and be careful in words and actions relating to the Taiwan issue,”.
China’s complaint against Yeol comes ahead of his visit to the US, which has consistently condemned China’s territorial claims over Taiwan.
Recently, tensions have escalated in the Taiwan Strait, with China conducting military exercises following President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the US.
South Korea’s foreign ministry criticized China for its “serious diplomatic discourtesy” after China dismissed Yeol’s comparison between the Taiwan issue and tensions on the Korean Peninsula.