[INTERVIEW] 'China has never asked Seoul to choose a side between Beijing, Washington,' envoy says

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing said in Seoul on Sept. 29 that China has never asked Korea to choose between Beijing and Washington. He said Korea should maintain relations with both countries while pursuing strategic autonomy without abandoning its U.S. alliance. Dai described Korea-China economic cooperation as shifting toward quality, resilience and horizontal integration, with potential in advanced industries and supply chains. He also called for dialogue on the Korean Peninsula and expanded people-to-people exchanges.

The second phase of negotiations on the Korea-China free trade agreement is underway, with both sides seeking an early agreement.

Dai identified artificial intelligence, biomedicine, new energy, intelligent manufacturing and the gray-hair economy as areas for further cooperation.

China and Korea have industrial and supply chain cooperation mechanisms including a hotline and an export control dialogue.

Dai said China’s policy remains focused on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, while emphasizing dialogue, mutual trust and consideration of all parties’ legitimate concerns.

Dai rejected claims that China has imposed unofficial restrictions on Korean cultural content and cited exchanges involving Go, dance, musical performances, calligraphy and football.

Published Oct 6, 2026 12:51 pm KST

Dai Bing calls for more quality, resilience in Korea-China bilateral economic cooperation

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, Jung District, Seoul, Sept. 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

As competition between the United States and China increasingly extends from diplomacy to technology and supply chains, Seoul faces the challenge of managing ties with its security ally and one of its most important economic partners.

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing said Seoul does not need to choose between Washington and Beijing, saying maintaining relations with both countries serves Korea’s national interests.

“China has never asked Korea to choose a side between China and the United States,” Dai said in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Sept. 29. “We hope that Korea will pursue sound relations parallel with both China and the United States, guided by its own fundamental national interests.”

The ambassador said U.S.-China competition should not be the sole lens through which the regional order in East Asia is viewed, adding China hopes Korea will pursue what he described as “genuine strategic autonomy.”

Dai emphasized that strategic autonomy does not mean giving up Korea’s alliance with the U.S., saying China respects the alliance relationship based on its historical context. He said it also means Korea should have room to make decisions based on what it considers beneficial to the country and its people.

“Our policy is clear. We do not want or request South Korea to take sides,” Dai said, adding that developing relations with both the U.S. and China would benefit Korea.

For much of the past three decades, economic ties between Korea and China were based on a largely complementary division of labor. That relationship, according to Dai, has now moved from expansion in scale toward a stage focused more on quality and resilience, while bilateral economic cooperation has shifted from a “complementary vertical division of labor” toward closer horizontal cooperation.

Although competition between industries in the two countries has increased, “the strategic and mutually beneficial nature of their cooperation remains unchanged,” he said.

“The Chinese market is like a ‘gym’ for the global economy: Companies can strengthen their capabilities here and become better equipped to compete in global markets,” Dai said.

Korea, he said, should use its geographical proximity to China to deepen its presence in the Chinese market, while making use of China’s industrial chains, labor force and range of application scenarios to expand into global markets.

Among emerging areas for further cooperation, he identified artificial intelligence, biomedicine, new energy, intelligent manufacturing and the “gray-hair economy.”

The ambassador also pointed to the ongoing second-phase negotiations on the Korea-China free trade agreement, saying the two sides are seeking an early agreement to further upgrade bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

“Korea is an important participant in the Asia-Pacific regional and global supply chains,” Dai said, adding that China and Korea have “deeply integrated industrial and supply chains.”

Existing bilateral mechanisms, including the Korea-China industrial and supply chain cooperation hotline and export control dialogue, could be used to strengthen stability and improve policy predictability, according to Dai.

Other areas for practical cooperation he identified include matching supply and demand for critical minerals, cooperation across the semiconductor industrial chain and circular development of the battery industry.

His remarks come as economic security has become an increasingly prominent issue in U.S.-China competition, with advanced technologies and supply chains at the center of tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

On U.S. technology restrictions, Dai accused Washington of “overextending the concept of national security,” and saying it “erected a technological barrier,” while seeking to divide supply chains along bloc lines. Dai said China-U.S. relations are characterized by “a complex mix of cooperation, competition, differences and dialogue,” adding that the relationship should not be defined solely by competition. He pointed to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the U.S. and his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the two leaders agreed to work toward “a constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of respect, fairness and reciprocity.”

President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping enter the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for an official welcoming ceremony, Jan. 5. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok

Dialogue, trust key to Korean Peninsula

Dai said China's fundamental goal is to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, prevent war and turmoil, and ultimately achieve lasting peace and stability on the peninsula.

His remarks came in response to a question about North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal and whether China still considers denuclearization an achievable goal.

The ambassador did not directly address denuclearization in his response. Instead, he emphasized the continuity of Beijing’s policy and its focus on maintaining peace and stability.

Asked how dialogue could be restarted, he said the concerns of all parties need to be taken into account.

“Relevant parties should take each other’s legitimate concerns seriously and take actions conducive to resuming dialogue and rebuilding mutual trust,” he said.

“The Korean Peninsula issue has persisted for many years, and it will take time to resolve,” he said, stressing the importance of facing up to the root causes of the issue and working to address them.

“China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way in safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and advancing the political settlement of the peninsula issue,” he said.

He said that as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a responsible major country, China takes a serious and consistent approach to its nuclear policy, adding that its support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the international nonproliferation regime remains unchanged.

As to the recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, which injured three South Korean soldiers, Dai noted that China had not yet obtained detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the incident at the time of the interview. He said China does not want to see tensions escalate on the peninsula and expressed confidence that South and North Korea have the “wisdom and capability” to handle the issue.

People-to-people, cultural exchanges

Beyond government and business ties, the ambassador called for greater people-to-people exchanges between Korea and China.

Addressing anti-China sentiment in Korea, he attributed its emergence in some parts of the country to “cognitive biases, information gaps, misleading narratives and political manipulation.” Greater exchanges involving young people, local governments and think tanks, he said, could help improve mutual understanding.

The ambassador also rejected claims that Beijing has imposed unofficial restrictions on Korean cultural content, commonly referred to as the “Korean wave ban.”

“The claim that ‘China has imposed informal restrictions on cultural content from Korea’ does not reflect the facts,” he said.

Pointing to exchanges this year in areas including the game Go, dance and musical performances, calligraphy and football, Dai called for the two countries to continue expanding cultural exchanges based on mutual respect and understanding.

中国驻韩国大使戴兵9月29日在首尔表示，中国从未要求韩国在北京和华盛顿之间做出选择。他指出，韩国应在不放弃与美国的联盟关系的前提下，追求战略自主，同时与中美两国保持良好关系。戴兵认为，韩中经济合作正朝着质量、韧性和横向融合的方向发展，在先进产业和供应链领域具有巨大潜力。他还呼吁就朝鲜半岛问题展开对话，并扩大民间交流。

韩中自由贸易协定第二阶段谈判正在进行中，双方都希望尽早达成协议。

戴先生认为人工智能、生物医药、新能源、智能制造和老年人经济是未来需要进一步合作的领域。

中国和韩国拥有产业链和供应链合作机制，包括热线和出口管制对话机制。

戴先生表示，中国的政策仍然以维护朝鲜半岛的和平与稳定为重点，同时强调对话、互信和顾及各方合理关切。

戴先生驳斥了中国对韩国文化内容施加非正式限制的说法，并列举了围棋、舞蹈、音乐表演、书法和足球等方面的交流。

发布于2026年10月6日下午12:51（韩国标准时间）

戴兵呼吁提高韩中双边经济合作的质量和韧性。

9月29日，中国驻韩国大使戴兵在首尔中区明洞中国大使馆接受《韩国时报》采访。照片由《韩国时报》沈铉哲拍摄。

随着中美竞争日益从外交领域扩展到技术和供应链领域，首尔面临着如何管理与其安全盟友和最重要的经济伙伴之一的关系的挑战。

中国驻韩国大使戴兵表示，首尔无需在华盛顿和北京之间做出选择，与两国都保持关系符合韩国的国家利益。

戴在9月29日于首尔接受《韩国时报》采访时表示：“中国从未要求韩国在中美之间选边站队。我们希望韩国在自身根本国家利益的指导下，与中美两国都发展良好关系。”

大使表示，不应仅从美中竞争的角度看待东亚地区秩序，并补充说，中国希望韩国追求他所说的“真正的战略自主”。

戴强调，战略自主并不意味着放弃韩美同盟关系，中国尊重韩美同盟关系的历史渊源。他还表示，战略自主也意味着韩国应该有自主决策的空间，可以根据自身对国家和人民的利益做出决定。

戴耀廷表示：“我们的政策很明确。我们不希望也不要求韩国选边站队。”他还补充说，发展与美国和中国的关系对韩国都有利。

过去三十年间，韩中经济关系主要建立在互补的劳动分工之上。戴先生认为，如今这种关系已从规模扩张阶段转向更加注重质量和韧性的阶段，双边经济合作也从“互补的纵向劳动分工”转向更紧密的横向合作。

他表示，尽管两国产业间的竞争日益加剧，但“两国合作的战略性和互利性本质依然不变”。

戴先生表示：“中国市场就像全球经济的‘健身房’：企业可以在这里增强自身能力，从而更好地在全球市场竞争。”

他表示，韩国应该利用其与中国的地理邻近性，深化在中国市场的地位，同时利用中国的产业链、劳动力和广泛的应用场景，拓展到全球市场。

他认为，未来可以进一步合作的新兴领域包括人工智能、生物医药、新能源、智能制造和“老年经济”。

大使还提到正在进行的韩中自由贸易协定第二阶段谈判，称双方正在寻求尽早达成协议，以进一步提升双边经贸合作水平。

戴表示：“韩国是亚太地区和全球供应链的重要参与者”，并补充说，中国和韩国“产业链和供应链深度融合”。

戴表示，现有的双边机制，包括韩中产业链供应链合作热线和出口管制对话，可以用来加强稳定性，提高政策可预测性。

他还指出其他一些可以开展实际合作的领域，包括关键矿物的供需匹配、半导体产业链的合作以及电池行业的循环发展。

在他发表这番言论之际，经济安全已成为中美竞争中日益突出的问题，先进技术和供应链成为世界两大经济体之间紧张关系的核心。

关于美国的技术限制，戴耀廷指责华盛顿“过度解读国家安全概念”，并称其“设置了技术壁垒”，试图以集团划分供应链。戴耀廷表示，中美关系的特点是“合作、竞争、分歧与对话交织的复杂局面”，不应仅仅用竞争来定义两国关系。他指出，中国国家主席习近平近期访美并与美国总统特朗普会谈，两国领导人同意在“尊重、公平、互惠的基础上，构建战略稳定的建设性关系”。

1月5日，韩国总统李在明和中国国家主席习近平在北京人民大会堂出席正式欢迎仪式。（韩国时报 王泰硕 摄）

对话与信任是朝鲜半岛的关键

戴先生表示，中国的根本目标是维护朝鲜半岛的和平稳定，防止战争和动乱，最终实现半岛的持久和平稳定。

他的这番言论是对有关朝鲜日益增长的核武库以及中国是否仍然认为无核化是一个可实现的目标的问题的回应。

大使在答复中并未直接提及无核化问题，而是强调北京政策的连续性以及维护和平与稳定的宗旨。

当被问及如何重启对话时，他表示需要考虑各方的关切。

他说：“有关各方应认真对待彼此的合理关切，采取有利于恢复对话和重建互信的行动。”

“朝鲜半岛问题已经持续多年，需要时间才能解决，”他强调，必须正视问题的根源并努力解决这些问题。

他说：“中国将继续以自己的方式在维护半岛和平稳定和推进半岛问题政治解决方面发挥建设性作用。”

他表示，作为联合国安理会常任理事国和负责任的大国，中国对核政策采取严肃、一贯的态度，并补充说，中国对《不扩散核武器条约》和国际防扩散机制的支持立场不变。

关于近期非军事区发生的导致三名韩国士兵受伤的地雷爆炸事件，戴先生指出，在接受采访时，中方尚未掌握事件详情。他表示，中方不希望看到朝鲜半岛局势升级，并相信韩朝双方都有“智慧和能力”处理这一问题。

民间交流、文化交流

除了政府和商业联系之外，大使还呼吁加强韩国和中国之间的民间交流。

针对韩国国内的反华情绪，他将这种情绪在韩国部分地区的出现归因于“认知偏差、信息鸿沟、误导性叙事和政治操纵”。他表示，加强青年群体、地方政府和智库之间的交流，有助于增进彼此的了解。

大使还驳斥了有关北京对韩国文化内容实施非正式限制（通常被称为“韩流禁令”）的说法。

他说：“所谓‘中国对韩国文化内容施加非正式限制’的说法并不符合事实。”

戴先生指出今年两国在围棋、舞蹈和音乐表演、书法和足球等领域开展了交流，呼吁两国在相互尊重和理解的基础上继续扩大文化交流。