Conflict between US and China over South Korea’s NATO Participation: Cautious Diplomacy

Tension between the United States and China is intensifying after four countries in the Asia-Pacific including South Korea participated in the NATO summit. The U.S. countered that China had no veto power when China objected. The U.S.-China conflict is not new, but the reason why the two countries disrupted the atmosphere of reconciliation and clashed anew is that the participation of the four Asia-Pacific countries in the NATO meeting is a sensitive issue.

The leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand will be invited to attend the NATO summit on June 29-30 in Madrid, Spain, for the first time as partners. China was agitated by the issue of containment on the agenda. After the White House confirmed the matter in a briefing the day before, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned on June 23 that “the Asia-Pacific region is beyond the geographical scope of the North Atlantic,” and “NATO should not try to disrupt stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.” In response, the White House said, “invasion of territory and sovereignty could occur in the Indo-Pacific region as well.” John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the U.S. National Security Council, responded, “China has no veto over which conferences South Korea attends.”

It is true that NATO is seeking to expand its role in the Asia-Pacific, as China fears. The 2022 strategic concept the summit will adopt includes a plan to revitalize offshore activities outside of Europe, which is, in effect, an official declaration that NATO will engage in the U.S.-China rivalry.

The Korean government takes the position that President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attendance has nothing to do with checks on China and Russia. However, contrary to that intention, the strategic symbolism of participating in checks on China is not small. The fact that the U.S. and China fought over the participation of South Korea, regardless of our intentions, demonstrates this reality.

It is a proper and a welcome step for Korea to pursue security cooperation with NATO in line with its global status. However, it should be borne in mind that the NATO summit could intensify the new Cold War structure in East Asia between South Korea, the U.S., Japan and North Korea, China and Russia. If the Korean Peninsula turns into a giant chess board, there is more to lose. Given these concerns, we should pursue pragmatic and prudent diplomacy to avoid misunderstandings with neighboring countries.