CHINA / SOCIETY
By Wan Lin Published: Apr 19, 2021 10:17 PM
A man walks past a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown of Incheon, South Korea, Feb. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)
A tourist attraction in South Korea, which the local media claimed to be a Chinatown, has sparked so much controversy and anti-China sentiment that a South Korean politician had to clarify that the cultural complex is in fact not Chinese-themed but intended to showcase Korean architecture. Nonetheless, 600,000 South Koreans have already signed a petition demanding a halt to the construction.
The event has prompted Chinese experts to call for an easing of the growing overreaction and sensitivity of some South Koreans over issues related to Chinese culture. The anti-Chinese sentiment shown in the controversy might be driven by conservative forces in South Korea amid a simmering cultural feud between the netizens of the two countries, observers said.
S.Korea ‘weak link’ of US strategy to encircle China
Xu Keyue Published: Mar 17, 2021 11:13 PM
A US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin inspects an honor guard with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook (right) during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
China threat narrative peddled by two senior US envoys may be downplayed by South Korea, although US officials have successfully lured Japan, who is willing to downgrade itself as US strategic appendage, Chinese observers predicted, noting that South Korea, which relies heavily on China both economically and politically, will pose as the weak link of the US strategy of encircling Beijing in this region.
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North Korea looms as next big test for China-US relations Laura Zhou and Eduardo Baptista
While Biden called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a thug during his campaign - a barb he also used to describe Chinese leader Xi Jinping - observers said the new US president was likely to take a more traditional and pragmatic diplomatic approach than his predecessor.
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Donald Trump s unconventional style led to three unprecedented meetings with Kim, who ignored the former president s demand for complete denuclearisation and last month announced a list of development plans for hi-tech nuclear weapons systems to deal with what he called intensifying American hostility.