South Korean President Lee Jae-ming was interviewed by CNN on the 22nd and talked about South Korea-US and South Korea-China relations. Li Zaiming said that although it is different from China's ideology and government system,"China cannot be shut out." However, he also admitted that the South Korea-US alliance made South Korea "a little subtle" in handling its relations with China.
The informal meeting of the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization (APEC) in 2025 will be held next week in South Korea. US media that U.S. President Donald Trump will open his trip to Asia. In an interview, Lee in Ming expressed hopes for Korean-U.S. relations, saying he welcomed Trump as a "peace builder" on the peninsula issue.
When referring to relations with China, Li Zaiming said: "We have different ideologies and different government systems... but we cannot shut out China." He said: "When talking about relations between countries, we cannot 'one size fits all' and then say,'This country is our friend, that country is not.'" Things are far from that simple, much more complex."
Li Zaiming also mentioned China's progress in the field of science and technology. He admits that Chinese companies are catching up with Korean companies and have even surpassed them in some aspects, but "Korean companies still have many areas to win", such as semiconductors and automobiles. Korean media previously reported that China's growing strength in high-tech industries has given South Korea a sense of crisis.
CNN noted that South Koreains close trade relations with China and is always cautious when dealing with relations with the United States and China. Lee said in an interview that the “critical” alliance with the United States makes dealing with relations with China “a little bit delicate.”
In recent years, the two sides have cooperated more closely, and the United States hopes to use South Korea to deal with China in the Asia-Pacific region.Since this year, the U.S. side has repeatedly expressed hope that the mission of the U.S. military in South Korea should not only target North Korea, but should also deal with China's "threat".
In the latest interview, Lee Jae-myung said that he is willing to share his expertise in the field of science and technology with the United States. "In the past, we have received a lot of assistance from the United States, so we are willing to provide as much help as possible to the efforts of the United States to reshape the manufacturing industry." In July this year, South Korea and the United States reached a trade agreement, but the specific details have not yet been finalized. Lee Jae-myung admitted that there were differences of opinion between South Korea and the United States during the negotiations, but he also expressed optimism about reaching an agreement. (Global Times special correspondent Wen Jian)