China remains ‘open-minded’ about exchanges with ROK

Economic and cultural exchanges have to serve the people’s interests, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday, in response to a Republic of Korea official’s suggestion that Beijing might be limiting exchanges in retaliation for Seoul’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system.

ROK Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said on Thursday that the ROK suspected China was making “indirect responses” to the planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, Reuters reported.

Previously, he said that Seoul was looking into whether China’s rejection of an ROK airlines’ request to add charter flights was related.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday, “China takes an openminded attitude toward economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two countries, but the foundation of the exchanges must be that they serve the people’s needs.”

“We are willing to continue consultation with the ROK and find a solution,” he said at a regular news conference in Beijing.

When asked whether China was in closer contact with the ROK’s main opposition party than with the ruling party, he answered that China’s opposition to the THAAD is clear.

“Whether it’s to the ROK government, the ruling party or other parties, we’ve sent all the same message,” he said.

Seven lawmakers from the ROK’s largest opposition party, the Minjoo Party of Korea, are currently visiting Beijing to ease tensions, and they have met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese officials and experts.

In another development, the ROK’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Friday the government will tailor tour programs to attract more individual Chinese tourists, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The ROK is a major overseas destination for Chinese tourists, 8 million of whom visited the ROK last year, a 34 percent year-on-year increase, the report said.

Wang Junsheng, a researcher of Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the ROK was trying to profit from China while acting against it with the THAAD system.

“It is impossible to achieve both,” he said.