China tweaks its foreign policy tactics in AsiaーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
ongoing tensions between the US and China are creating uncertainty for many countries in the Asia region beijing’s territorial claims and military pressure are cause for concern even as Washington works with countries including Japan South Korea and the Philippines in an attempt to counter the threat but now China seems to be changing tac nhk World’s Beijing correspondent joins us in a moment as we take a closer look at China’s shifting foreign policy tactics in South Korea the election of a new president this week could set the stage for a thin relations with China [Music] ejon of the Democratic Party was sworn in on Wednesday marking a return to liberal government after three years of conservative rule the duty of the president is to unite the people of our country it is not to be a big ruler but to embrace the whole nation i will never forget that he is promising a major overhaul in the country’s domestic and foreign policies he has signaled an intention to maintain strong ties with the US and Japan but also a willingness to improve relations with China and North Korea through practical diplomacy we will make the global economic and security crisis an opportunity to maximize our national interests based on our solid alliance with the United States we will strengthen cooperation with the US and Japan and approach relations with neighboring countries with our interests and practicality in mind but this upbeat message met with a cool response from a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson speaking at a news conference after E election win Lingian took a highunded tone the fundamental driving force for developing relations between China and South Korea lies in mutual interests this has nothing to do with third party countries and should not be influenced by third party countries china is always opposed to taking sides and forming camps it was an early indication that in foreign policy at least he may find it hard to keep everyone happy for more on this let’s go to our Beijing correspondent Nakamunaga so Genta South Korea’s new president promised on the campaign trail that he would ease tensions um with China is Eimian’s election victory also a win for Beijing well at the very least it’s a shift Beijing will welcome for a long time South Korea sought to maintain a balance between the US and China but that changed under Lee’s predecessor the conservative Yunyo he cultivated stronger ties with Washington and Tokyo while taking a tougher stance toward Beijing as a result relations with China became rocky an article published on Wednesday by the Global Times which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party put no punches it blamed Yun for causing unnecessary friction and hurting economic ties but the tone toward Lee was strikingly different the new president was praised for his willingness to deepen ties with China the article said his leadership could bring a positive atmosphere for bilateral relations so far so good but Beijing didn’t let the moment pass without a warning before congratulating Lee on his election win a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned about interference by third party countries it was a clear message don’t side with the US against China i think this shows a desire for South Korea to return to its uh previous approach of being mindful of Beijing without getting too close to Washington yes as Genta says uh China is looking to recalibrate relations with South Korea but at the same time there are also signs uh it’s rethinking its approach toward the wider region last week defense ministers from Asia Europe and the United States gathered in Singapore for the annual Asia Security Summit also known as the Shangrila Dialogue but China’s top brass were notably absent after sending its defense minister to the meeting for the past four years Beijing this time only dispatched a delegation from the National Military Academy but if China was keeping a low profile it loomed large in a speech at the general meeting by US Defense Secretary Heg he singled out Beijing for putting increasing military pressure on Taiwan china has demonstrated that it wants to fundamentally alter the region’s status quo any attempt by communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indoacific and the world in response a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said the country deplores and firmly opposes Hegset’s comments and had lodged a strong protest with the US the spokesperson added the Taiwan question was an entirely internal affair and other countries had no right to interfere in previous years a highlevel Chinese delegate would have likely made such a rebuttal in person china’s muted presence in Singapore this time described by the Straits Times as marketkedly low-key has left observers wondering if it signals a broader shift all right let’s go back to Genta for more on this uh Beijing seems eager to chip away at what it sees as a US-led strategy to contain its influence so again the China’s reduced presence at the Shangla dialogue we just mentioned uh seems like a missed opportunity doesn’t it well it certainly uh raised eyebrows in recent years Beijing had taken the Shangorilla dialogue seriously using it as a key platform to project its views to the world last year was a prime example right after US defense secretary Lloyd Austin gave his speech China hit back with the defense minister’s speech and news conference of its own a direct rebuttal loud and clear but it wasn’t just for push back beijing also used the event to keep channels open with Washington even agreeing to a defense minister’s meeting but this time no press briefings few public appearances and notably no high level talks with other nations especially the US this was a sharp break from tradition in past years uh Chinese military used this stage to push back hard against US narratives not this time why the change uh the South China Morning Post cited an expert who offered one possible explanation ongoing US China trade talks especially over tariffs may be the reason a public showdown at the forum could have complicated those negotiations so Beijing may have chosen silence over confrontation for now so Genta is this the new normal for China at the Shangriila dialogue it’s possible uh Beijing may see less value in a forum dominated by western voices according to another expert quoted by the past China feels the dialogue has become a tool to criticize its actions especially on the South China Sea and military expansion instead Beijing is leaning on its own platform the Shang Xan Forum it’s held in China and gives Beijing greater control over the narrative and that may be the direction we will see more of beijing is clearly working to shape a global order on its own terms rather than playing by western rules it’s trying to bring more countries into the orbit and that push could intensify going forward
China’s low-key presence at the Shangri-La Dialogue and response to Lee Jae-myung’s election win show how it is adapting its foreign policy approach in Asia.
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