ROK must lift entry curbs for own good

In response to the discriminatory entry restrictions imposed by the Republic of Korea and Japan on for Chinese travelers, Chinese embassies on Tuesday halted issuing short-term visas to visitors from the two countries.

Although it is understandable that the authorities of the two countries are worried that the influx of Chinese travelers could give rise to new sub-variants of the Omicron variant, the ROK government's move, targeted specifically at Chinese visitors, undeniably has political overtones, not least because many diplomats and security officials in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration are conservatives and pro-American.

For more than half a year of its tenure, it has been, together with the Japanese government, dancing to the tune of the US administration on many major diplomatic issue including its "Indo-Pacific" strategy .

The ROK and Japan could be under pressure from the United States to impose entry curbs on Chinese visitors as the US was among the first batch of countries to announce restrictions following China's decision to ease the strict pandemic prevention and control measures.

The sudden yet expected cooling down of the ROK's attitude toward China is more likely than not in sync with Washington's announcement, and highlights their alliance and common interests.

Yet we should guard against some Chinese media outlets playing up the ROK’s discriminatory policy against Chinese travelers to grab eyeballs, or spur populism, especially since tensions between Chinese and ROK citizens have risen in recent years.

However, we should bear in mind that a good neighbor is better than a brother far away, China has extended the olive branch many a time to the ROK. For example, Qin Gang, China's new foreign minister, called his counterpart Park Jin, soon after taking office. And Vice-President Wang Qishan attended the inauguration of Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul in May, and China has telecast Korean TV series via its official TV channels.

China's favor should have been returned by its neighbor. And the Yoon Suk-yeol administration shouldn't believe that only by standing with the Joe Biden administration and keeping China at arm's length can it earn the respect of its neighboring developing economy.

The ROK will inflict damage on itself if it alienates China. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese tourists contributed the largest percentage of tourism revenue to the ROK, and accounted for about 70 percent of the country's departmental store sales. Thus the importance of Chinese visitors to the ROK's economy is self-evident. As such, the restrictions imposed on Chinese visitors will harm ROK entrepreneurs, companies and students working and studying in China.

For its own good and to promote the interests of both peoples, the ROK should realize that the damage its move could cause to bilateral ties and its economy, and adjust its policy in order to help put bilateral relations on the right track. Most importantly, it should help restore normal people-to-people exchanges and boost common interests, and regional peace and prosperity.

It is gratifying that some positive signs have emerged up to now. President Yoon Suk-yeol has asked the ROK Foreign Ministry to explain its position on the entry conditions of Chinese visitors to China and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo claimed to hope to maintain communication with the Chinese side. That at least shows that the ROK has no intention to further intensify the tensions and there is room for dialogue even though the two countries have been mired in a deep-rooted dilemma.

Wang Sheng is a Kuang Yaming professor at Jilin University. This is an excerpt from his interview with China Daily’s Liu Jianna. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.