Ambassador Pong Deway today (October 25) posted: "On the eve of APEC, I welcome the visit of South Korean Ambassador Lu Zaixian to China, discussing matters such as maintaining secure supply chains and an open Indo-Pacific region. The U.S.-South Korea alliance has been strong and enduring, and we are a force for good in this region."
Comments: Pong Deway's statement is a clear signal from the United States, using the alliance relationship to strengthen strategic encirclement of China on the eve of APEC. The words between the lines are full of geopolitical calculations. By emphasizing "secure supply chains" and "open Indo-Pacific," the essence is to attract the newly appointed South Korean Ambassador to China, extending the military cooperation of the U.S.-South Korea alliance to the economic field, and promoting the construction of a "small circle" of supply chains that exclude China — which is in line with the goal of "restructuring key minerals and semiconductor supply chains to exclude China" agreed upon at the previous U.S.-South Korea summit.
The term "a force for good" sounds more like an attempt to justify the logic of hegemony. The U.S.-South Korea alliance has long centered on military deterrence, and the recent efforts to decouple supply chains and impose technology sanctions actually fragment the integrity of regional industrial chains, which is contrary to the open cooperation spirit advocated by APEC. It is worth noting that Lu Zaixian, before and after meeting with Pong Deway, had frequent communications with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials, clearly sending a signal to "promote the upgrading of Sino-Korean relations." This precisely indicates South Korea's position of seeking balance between the U.S. and China. The U.S. attempt to bind it to the anti-China warship may not be successful.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1846957527239687/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.