Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told attendees at an international conference that Japanese and South Koreans would never be Westerners, and should rather pursue their interests in cooperation with China.
‘It doesn’t matter how much you dye your hair blonde, how sharp you make your nose, you’ll never become Europeans or Americans. You’ll never become Westerners,” Wang said at the annual International Forum for Trilateral Cooperation in Qingdao on Monday.
He added that ‘we have to know where our roots are.’
Wang urged the countries to work together to ‘revitalise Asia’ and stand up to ‘bullying and hegemony.’ Outsiders were trying to undermine the region, he said.
Japan and South Korea are both close allies of the United States, with which China has found itself increasingly at odds in recent years. In addition, the two countries have their own long-standing disputes with China, some rooted in centuries of history.
Japan and South Korea share concerns with the US about China’s assertiveness, particularly over its claims to Taiwan, as well as over a possible North Korean threat to its southern neighbour.
In addition, the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic has led them (along with many democracies) to reconsider global supply chains, and particularly to be less reliant on China.
[Image: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119393326]