China-South Korea ties: empty ambassador chair highlights complications in relationship
South China Morning Post
5 min read
China has been without an ambassador in South Korea for more than three months, the longest vacancy since the two countries established diplomatic ties.
Some diplomatic observers said the choice of a new ambassador might reflect the need to consider a growing number of geopolitical challenges, but others said the delay may not have any special significance and suggested Beijing may have other diplomatic priorities.
Beijing has made no announcement on its next ambassador since Xing Haiming left the position on July 10, having served in the role since January 2020. The embassy is currently run by Fang Kun, the charge d'affaires.
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Recently vacancies in China's ambassadorial roles to the European Union and the United States have also been left unfilled for an extended period.
In May last year, former foreign vice-minister Xie Feng was appointed as ambassador to Washington, a role that had been vacant for almost five months, the longest period since US-China relations normalised in 1979.
According to Chung Jae-hung, director of the Centre for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, complex geopolitical tensions might require China to consider more factors when selecting its candidate for South Korea than had previously been the case.
"With the strengthening of the US-South Korea-Japan relations and the growing hostility between North and South Korea, South Korea is likely to increase its pressure on China regarding these matters in the future. This raises the question of how China should approach relations between North and South Korea," Chung said.
"Economically, China and South Korea's priorities also diverge: South Korea seeks cooperation in China's market, especially in services and finance, while China looks to chips and advanced industries where cooperation is limited."
The position may remain vacant for a few more months, partly to allow Beijing to observe the state of US-South Korea relations after the US election, Chung said.
China and South Korea maintain robust trade ties but these have been tested in recent years by Seoul's closer security and political relations with Washington under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
During his term, Chinese ambassador Xing stirred controversy when he cautioned Seoul last year against making the "wrong bet".
The relationshship does not appear to be a top priority for either country, Chung said, noting that China was prioritising relations with developing countries, the Global South and alliances such as Brics, while South Korea was strengthening ties with Western nations.
For South Korea, relations with China appeared to be more about "management" rather than high expectations, he said.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, pointed to several challenges in the China-South Korea relationship.
"For years, there have been North Korea's greatly accelerated nuclear missile development and Beijing's explicit appeasement on that.
"There also have been frequent massive US-ROK [Republic of Korea] military drills, deepening US-Japan-ROK security cooperation, the ROK's increasing involvement with Quad and Nato, and most recently North Korea's very dangerous actions in the peninsula and in Europe and Russia's war there," Shi said.
He said relations were at their lowest since the two sides formally established diplomatic ties in 1992, "except for about one year dominated by the THAAD dispute", referring to a clash over the 2016 decision to deploy an American anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea.
Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said it was not necessary to read too much into the ambassadorial vacancy.
"Given the importance of South Korea and the Korean peninsula in China's diplomacy, Beijing is likely to appoint a heavyweight diplomat who will be welcomed by Seoul," he said.
Zhu suggested there were several factors for the delay - such as Beijing's prioritising the US and the situation in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea -but a new ambassador was likely to be announced soon.
"North Korea's latest rhetoric and actions against the South, as well as its participation in the Russia-Ukraine war, may have also added complexity to Beijing's decision-making in appointing the new ambassador to Seoul," he said.
Zhu Feng, executive dean of Nanjing University's School of International Studies, also suggested this vacancy was not particularly significant because the embassy's deputy head could temporarily assume the ambassador's duties.
"Perhaps there are other matters affecting the selection, but for the bilateral relationship, the temporary vacancy of the ambassador is not a serious issue," he said.
When asked when Beijing would appoint a new ambassador, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said two weeks ago that she had no information to share.
"We stand ready to maintain communication with the ROK on the nomination of its new ambassador to promote the sound and steady growth of China-ROK relations," Mao said.
Seoul this month announced the appointment of former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki as its new ambassador to Beijing.
The current chief of staff Chung Jin-suk told Yonhap News Agency that Kim was chosen for his "abundant policy experience", including handling trade disputes and the 2014 China-South Korea free-trade agreement.
Kim speaks advanced Chinese and previously served as a senior economic secretary and chief of policy under former president Lee Myung-bak, Yonhap said.
