In a word, it shows the tangled mentality of the South Korean government!
South Korea decided to join the U.S.-led "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework," but South Korean officials said the framework "does not exclude China." The "Indo-Pacific economic framework" led by the United States is actually an economic bloc, an anti-China alliance that attempts to squeeze China out of the global supply chain, with an anti-China nature, which encourages the Indo-Pacific economy to "decouple" from the Chinese market and restricts the export of sensitive products to China. The U.S. ambassador to Japan told the media that China could not participate.
Obviously, the South Korean government is very clear about the intentions of the United States, but it is also worried about hurting the trade relations between China and South Korea, China is South Korea's largest trading partner, plagued by the epidemic in 2021, bilateral trade volume still exceeded 362 billion US dollars, an increase of 26.9% year-on-year, the two countries are deeply integrated in various fields, adjacent regional relations, so that South Korean enterprises and people can not leave China at all, South Korea's economic development is also inseparable from the Chinese market, into the Indo-Pacific economic framework, follow the US baton to provoke China, the Chinese market or not? Will the enraged Chinese reject South Korean goods? This is the issue before the South Korean government.
The Indo-Pacific economic framework is full of Cold War confrontation and regional provocations, such as the United States inviting Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Vietnam, malaysia, but excluding Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei, which is equivalent to deliberately dismantling ASEAN countries. The organization is depicted as a mess, in fact, there is not much gold content, not carefully designed and managed and approved by the US Senate, there is no incentive for participating countries, such as allowing indo-Pacific framework member countries to enter the US market, participating countries in addition to following the United States politically, in economic and trade can not get much benefit from the United States, belongs to a good look and useless "wax gun head", so it does not rule out being vetoed by the next US president.
South Korea's former president Moon Jae-in once reminded incumbent Yoon Seok-yue not to choose a side war between China and the United States, but the new president has a strong pro-American tendency, is it to follow China to make money, or to follow the United States to oppose China? Is it to follow the US anti-China and at the same time not let go of the Chinese market prospects? This is the main problem that currently confuses south Korea's new government. This tightrope is not easy to walk, if you are not careful, you will fall down, make a gray face, and the two sides are not people.
