Say ‘xie xie’ and forget Taiwan? South Korea’s Yoon taps public resentment to snub calls for better Beijing ties

But this has changed in recent years, with the trade surplus shrinking to US$1.2 billion in 2022. Last year, South Korea registered a trade deficit, of US$18 billion, with China for the first time in decades – a drop mainly attributed to slow chip exports and Chinese products gaining a competitive edge.

Lee, elsewhere on the campaign trail earlier this month, emphasized how Yoon’s government had contributed to the trade deficit by unnecessarily “antagonizing” China since coming to power in May 2022.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s ruling party, said on Saturday that Lee’s comments underscored the liberal opposition’s perceived acquiescence towards China.

“Acting like a bystander on the issue of Taiwan Strait is contradicting our national interests at a time when the world is being divided into different blocs,” Han said.

Acting like a bystander on the issue of Taiwan Strait is contradicting our national interests at a time when the world is being divided into different blocs

Analysts say it would be difficult to insulate the Korean peninsula from a war over Taiwan as US troops stationed in the South would be under pressure to intervene and the North would be tempted to create troubles along the border.

Troubles in the Taiwan Strait would also have a significant economic impact on South Korea as 42.7 per cent of its trade, including crucial energy imports, passes through it.

According to Han, he declined an invitation to the Chinese embassy in Seoul in June last year for a meeting with Ambassador Xing Haiming, but Lee happily responded to the invitation and “meekly” inclined to Xing’s “threats” that Seoul would certainly “regret” if it “bets on the United States entirely”.

If the conservatives win back a majority in parliament, Han said his party would amend laws to deprive foreigners living in South Korea of ​​their right to vote. They are currently only allowed to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Han cited the principle of reciprocity in diplomacy as China and many other countries do not grant foreigners voting rights.

South Korea hosts some 120,000 permanent foreign residents, including 100,000 Chinese nationals of Korean ancestry.

Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Kang Min-seok defended Lee, saying: “China is our largest trade partner… The purpose of diplomacy is national interest”.

Pollsters mostly agree that the main liberal opposition party and its offshoot Rebuilding Korea Party are expected to jointly win a majority in the 300-seat National Assembly and extend their parliamentary control for another four years.

In South Korea’s sharply polarized political arena, splits in public opinion are most visible when it comes to diplomacy, said Political-Science Professor Jhee Byong-keun of Chonnam National University, with Yoon’s efforts to mend fences with Japan earning both praise from conservatives and criticism from liberals.

Following the elections, Yoon is likely to face growing pressure from an opposition-controlled parliament to ease tensions with theNorth through dialogue and improvement ties with China and Russiaanalysts say.

“However, it’s hardly likely for the government to change its course in diplomacy,” said Park Won-gon, a political science professor at Ehwa Womans University in Seoul, as South Korea’s parliament, unlike the US Senate, has scant authority over matters relating to international relations.

“Public resentment against China is too strong for the opposition to continue raising issues with the government’s policy toward China as polls suggest seven out of 10 South Koreans don’t like China,” he told This Week in Asia.

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