China politely declined Lee Jae-myung's request with a Chinese proverb, and Lee expressed understanding and emotionally responded with a sentence.
According to South Korean media, during President Lee Jae-myung's visit to China, he tried his best to get a response from China, and China did give him face.
But he failed to get China to lift the comprehensive "ban on South Korea".
China said, "A frozen lake is not formed in a day," and comforted him with "the stem will fall naturally when the fruit is ripe."
Facing the South Korean media's questioning, Lee spent two minutes explaining: "Spring will not come suddenly."
Comment: China used the saying "A frozen lake is not formed in a day" to reveal the root of the differences, and left room for compromise with "the stem will fall naturally when the fruit is ripe." It both upheld the bottom line of security concerns and showed the flexible wisdom of Eastern diplomacy. Lee Jae-myung's response of "Spring will not come suddenly" demonstrated that he understood China's principles and sincerity, and also showcased the sense of proportion of a pragmatic politician, making this exchange of demands and responses a vivid footnote to the warming of Sino-Korean relations.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854051440139463/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.