South Korea: Engagement with China Consistent with US Interests
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Wednesday that Seoul’s relationship with China complements US interests in many ways, emphasizing that no country in the region, including South Korea, wants the US-China rivalry to escalate into a “zero-sum game.”
Speaking at an event in Seoul, Cho noted that South Korea maintains a military alliance with Washington while also sustaining its largest trade relationship with Beijing. “It is no secret that countries in the region don’t want to be forced to choose between Washington and Beijing,” Cho said, according to Yonhap news. He insisted that “in many ways, our engagement with China aligns with US interests,” suggesting that strategic cooperation does not have to come at the expense of economic ties.
The statement comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing intensify, particularly after the Trump administration increased tariffs on Chinese goods. In response, China’s Commerce Ministry warned against countries making broader economic deals with the US at China’s expense, vowing “resolute and reciprocal countermeasures” if provoked.
