Republican committee chief urges 'heightened vigilance' over S. Korea-China ties: report

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- The Republican chair of the congressional committee on U.S.-China competition has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to maintain "heightened" vigilance over the warming relationship between Seoul and Beijing, which he said poses "significant risks" to the United States, a report said Wednesday.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, sent the letter, citing deepening leader-level relations between Seoul and Beijing, South Korean semiconductor investment in China and "unfair" treatment of U.S. firms in Korea compared with Chinese rivals, according to Reuters.

Moolenaar portrayed South Korea as a "major American ally" but pointed out the "potential for frictions to develop into a structural shift in Seoul's alignment."

This file photo, released by the Associated Press, shows Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) questioning witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)

He expressed concerns over what he called the "unprecedented" pace of leader-level engagement between Seoul and Beijing, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping visited South Korea for the first time in 11 years last year, and that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited China this year, the first presidential visit since 2019, Reuters said.

The chairman also pointed to the "widening gulf" between South Korea and the U.S., claiming that Seoul had "effectively ruled out" supporting a regional response to any Chinese aggression against Taiwan. He cited Lee's related campaign remark in 2024: "What does it matter to us what happens in the Taiwan Strait?"

He called for a State Department briefing on developments in South Korea-China relations by Oct. 31.

There have been signs of tension between Seoul and Washington, as U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his frustration about South Korea's perceived lack of support over the Iran war.

In April, Trump said that South Korea was "not helpful" to the U.S. despite Washington having stationed its troops "in harm's way" in the Asian country, which he stressed is located "right next to" North Korea's nuclear force.

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Republican committee chief urges 'heightened vigilance' over S. Korea-China ties: report

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

华盛顿，9月30日（韩联社）——据周三的一份报告称，美国国会美中竞争委员会的共和党主席呼吁国务卿马可·卢比奥对首尔和北京之间日益升温的关系保持“高度”警惕，他表示这种关系对美国构成“重大风险”。

据路透社报道，美国众议院中美战略竞争特别委员会主席、密歇根州共和党众议员约翰·穆勒纳尔发出了这封信，信中列举了首尔和北京之间领导人之间日益密切的关系、韩国半导体在中国的投资以及美国公司在韩国与中国竞争对手相比所受到的“不公平”待遇等问题。

穆勒纳尔将韩国描绘成“美国的主要盟友”，但也指出“摩擦有可能发展成为首尔阵营的结构性转变”。

这张由美联社发布的资料照片显示，2023年2月28日，密歇根州共和党众议员约翰·穆勒纳尔在华盛顿特区国会山举行的听证会上质询证人。（韩联社）

据路透社报道，他对首尔和北京之间领导人级别接触的“前所未有”的速度表示担忧，并指出中国国家主席习近平去年11年来首次访问韩国，而韩国总统李在明今年访问中国，这是自2019年以来韩国总统首次访华。

主席还指出韩国与美国之间的“鸿沟”日益扩大，声称首尔“实际上已经排除”支持对中国任何针对台湾的侵略行为采取区域性应对措施的可能性。他引用了李在2024年竞选时的相关言论：“台海局势与我们何干？”

他要求国务院在10月31日前就韩中关系发展情况进行简报。

首尔和华盛顿之间出现了紧张局势的迹象，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普对韩国在伊朗战争中缺乏支持表示不满。

今年四月，特朗普表示，尽管华盛顿已将军队部署在“危险地带”的韩国，但韩国对美国“没有帮助”。他还强调，韩国“就在”朝鲜核力量“旁边”。

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据报道，共和党委员会主席敦促对韩中关系保持“高度警惕”。