Chinese Ambassador to Korea Li Bin said China would give "unreserved" support to Korea if it chose to play the role of a stabilizer for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia, as envisioned by President Roh Moo-hyun.
But Li told the English-language Korea Times on Thursday it was “not clear, so far, as to how the 'balancer' role will go in the future."
High-ranking government officials explained on March 30 Korea would seek to mediate tensions between China and Japan rooted in its alliance with the U.S. But critics say the new doctrine suggests Seoul could loosen ties with Washington and move closer to China.
"Some say that, if one country moves closer to another country, it inevitably becomes estranged from another,” Li said. “We can’t greet an era of mutual prosperity in this region with such old Cold War thoughts, can we?"
He also said China was doing its best to get six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament restarted quickly. He said when North Korean Premier Pak Pong-ju visited Beijing last month, Chinese officials told him to pay attention to slight shifts in U.S. language. But the ambassador denied Japanese press reports that the six-party talks could reopen in May along with Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to North Korea. "President Hu will visit North Korea at a convenient time this year, but as far as I know a firm schedule has not been arranged," he said.
