Top Beijing official goals blunt feedback about rejecting Western affect at Japan and Korea
BEIJING: China’s prime diplomat has referred to as on South Korea and Japan to recollect their “roots” and reject Western influences, in racially charged feedback to officers from Seoul and Tokyo.
Speaking at a trilateral discussion board within the jap metropolis of Qingdao on Monday, Wang Yi — who’s in control of the ruling Communist Party’s international coverage — mentioned Western powers had intentionally “played up ideological differences between the countries”, state media reported.
He additionally made a case for unity between the three nations on the premise of race, saying “Europeans and Americans can’t distinguish between Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans”, in line with a recording shared by the state-run nationalist media outlet the Global Times and reported by different Beijing media.
“No matter how yellow our hair is dyed or how sharp we change our nose, we can’t become Westerners,” he mentioned.
“We should know where our roots are.”
Wang’s remarks come at a time of deepening Chinese anger in the direction of its East Asian neighbours over Washington’s efforts to strengthen navy and intelligence ties with its two shut allies.
Last month, Seoul summoned China’s ambassador to South Korea after he met with an area opposition chief and bemoaned poor relations between the nations, suggesting Seoul was being influenced by “external factors”.
China has additionally expressed “strong opposition” to Japan’s plans to launch handled water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.
