Korea moving to cut reliance on China
SINGAPORE — Uncertainties prevail in Northeast Asia, with Trump’s “America first” policy and China’s ambivalent stance toward North Korea adding to the unpredictability.
Growing tensions in the region have put South Korea’s diplomacy to test. Its heavy dependence on China offers a very narrow list of diplomatic options, making the country continuously pushed around by neighboring powers.
This has called for South Korea to shift more of its attention to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and strengthen its diplomatic partnerships in the region.
Against this backdrop, National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun has vowed to beef up parliamentary diplomacy in ASEAN to reduce reliance on China and increase political presence in the 10-member bloc.
“Our diplomacy has focused too much on major powers but the importance of diplomacy with ASEAN member states has been continuously growing,” Chung said in a recent interview at Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. “So we are expanding our parliamentary diplomacy by building a friendship association with ASEAN member states and increasing exchanges of lawmakers.”
The interview was conducted during his visit to Singapore, March 20. It was the first visit by a Korean Assembly speaker in 13 years. Chung was on a six-day visit to Singapore and Malaysia to expand economic cooperation and help Korean firms win the lead role in a Singapore-Malaysia high-speed rail project.
“I believe this visit will be a catalyst to reduce our reliance on China and strengthen our relations with ASEAN,” he said.
“In the middle of a leadership vacuum, the Assembly will play a role in enhancing cooperation with ASEAN and seek cooperative channels through which the Korean government can provide financial and tax incentives for those joining infrastructure projects in the region.”
His visit came amid growing calls for the government to increase its political presence in ASEAN.
Korea’s presence in business and cultural sectors in Southeast Asia has been growing on the rise of hallyu, but it is hard to see any activity in political and academic circles. Korea still lacks political links in the region.
Chung met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Rajak as well as his counterparts from both countries. At the meetings, Chung spent a large amount of time pitching Korean high-speed railway’s safety and technology prowess to help the Korean consortium win in an international tender for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur railway.
The two Southeast Asian countries signed a legally binding contract in December to develop the 350 kilometer rail link estimated to cost around $15 billion. It is scheduled to be completed by 2026.
“I tried to highlight our strengths over rival countries by emphasizing our prowess in safety and technology,” he said. “I also stressed that Korea is able to transfer key technologies because the public sector has secured most of it through state-led R&D.
“It is important to come up with a proposal to satisfy the requirements by both governments, including a financial package. The Assembly will continue to provide support to help the consortium win the deal.”