South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (Photo: Reuters).
"The nature of the Korean Peninsula issue and the Taiwan issue are completely different and incomparable, and this is an obvious fact," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on April 20.
Mr. Wang called on South Korea to "abide by the One China principle and handle the Taiwan issue cautiously."
The statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman came after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol commented on the rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait in an interview with Reuters , ahead of his state visit to the United States next week.
"Ultimately, these tensions are caused by attempts to change the status quo by force, and we, along with the international community, are completely opposed to such a change. The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan, but like the North Korean issue, it is a global issue," Yoon said.
The South Korean president's comments came as China recently ended military exercises around Taiwan following Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California earlier this month. Beijing has repeatedly protested the meeting, while the US says every Taiwanese leader has transited through the US, with Tsai having done so six times since taking office in 2016.
China still considers Taiwan an inseparable part of its territory and is ready to annex it by any means, including force. China opposes countries that have diplomatic relations with it having official relations with Taiwan.
Responding to a reporter's question about the South Korean President's comments, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman affirmed that Taiwan is "an inseparable part of China's territory", the Taiwan issue is "entirely an internal affair" and is "central to China's core interests".
Last year, Yoon criticized China’s military activities in the Taiwan Strait after Beijing conducted large-scale military exercises around the island in August in response to a visit by former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, Yoon noted that the North Korean issue would remain Seoul’s top security priority even in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
President Yoon will visit the US from April 24 to 29 and meet with his counterpart Joe Biden on April 26, according to Yonhap . He will also meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris and US military leaders.
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