Chinese emperor's arrogant messenger?

New Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming poses after presenting his diplomatic credentials to President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in the background. /Yonhap

By Oh Young-jin

In all fairness, one may wonder why the "new" Chinese ambassador to Seoul was given a free pass on his diplomatic gaffe, while the U.S. ambassador ― who was born to a Japanese mother ― was pilloried over his mustache that critics compared to the facial hair of Japanese colonial-period leaders preying on Koreans.

If one were to draw comparisons of Ambassador Harry Harris to Japan's cruel governor-general during that country's 1940-1945 occupation, then it would be justified in comparing Ambassador Xing Haiming to arrogant senior messengers from Ming or Qing emperors who treated Joseon kings as their subordinates. (Disclaimer: I don't like these historic comparisons because I am no believer in the Toynbian, a perspective that sees history repeating itself. I will use this approach today for the sake of an argument with the hope of not revisiting the issue again.

Harris faced a backlash for his comments regarding Korea's need to consult the U.S. when Korea floated the idea of allowing Koreans to make individual visits to North Korea.

Large Korean group tours to Mount Geumgang have been banned as part of international sanctions to freeze Pyongyang's cash flow and force it to comply with international demands for denuclearization.

The Seoul government is keen to revive its dialogue with the North by offering cash incentives that come with such tours. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae made an unusual move of upbraiding the envoy for meddling in the nation's sovereign matters.

Ambassador Xing went even further when he said his country "didn't greatly appreciate" Korea's effort to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan in China's Hubei Province. It was an unmistakable show of dissatisfaction over Korea going too far in self-protective measures. In his Tuesday media conference, he advised Korea to follow the World Health Organization (WHO) that is roundly criticized for lacking a sense of urgency on the global epidemic.

New Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming, wearing a protective mask, speaks to reporters. Yonhap

First, it is hard to dismiss Xing's jab at Korea's containment policy as an expression of a feudalistic hint harbored by the Chinese. It harks back to Chinese President Xi Jinping's anachronistic reference to Korea as a former part of the Middle Kingdom during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida not too long ago.

The Korean government has gone the extra mile not to impose a total entry ban on China, opting for a limited restriction on Hubei Province, the epicenter of the epidemic. The U.S. has imposed a total ban covering all of China, as has Beijing's supposed ally Russia. North Korea, China's beneficiary, has done the same.

Considering the enormous number of visitors between China and Korea, and their geographical proximity, Seoul should have gone earlier and further than those countries in containment, according to some experts.

Third, the WHO is under heavy Chinese influence, with Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' leadership having lost a great deal of credibility when he appeared to be at Beijing's beck and call and failed to tackle rising global concerns.

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Fourth, when he spoke to the media Tuesday, Xing ― who worked at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on three occasions over 10 years and comes to the new post after being ambassador to Mongolia ― did not have his credentials or agreement to present to the Korean government, in a formal procedure that marks the host country's recognition of an ambassador. So he was not yet an ambassador when he indirectly reprimanded Korea. He presented his agreement to President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae Friday.

China is doing a poor job in containment and an even poorer one on matters of transparency. It is suspected of hiding the outbreak at the initial stage, depriving the world of a precious window of opportunity to tame it promptly.

Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming /Yonhap

During his visit to the Foreign Ministry Thursday, Xing argued that the situation had improved, quoting unnamed scientists as saying that the epidemic could be under control "in a week or 10 days." Although he did not provide specifics, his claim contradicted experts' consensus that China should wait until mid-March to know with a degree of certainty whether it is contained.

The comment is looked at as the envoy's wishful thinking as we see virus cases rising by thousands and deaths by scores daily.

Xing's claims and gaffe were pictured against the background of the Korean government's accommodating stance.

Cheong Wa Dae did not raise any issue over sovereignty with Xing as it did with Harris. The Foreign Ministry repeatedly said that nothing has changed regarding President Xi's planned to visit Korea in the year's first half. Calls for a total Chinese entry ban have fallen on deaf ears, creating confusion among the public over the government's priority between public health and China relations.

The Harris-Xing brouhaha comes in the context of China-U.S. rivalry.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the U.S. of overreacting to the epidemic to undermine China through its Chinese blockade. We know how fierce a trade dispute they fought and the U.S.'s victory in it should be seen as not an end to the battle, but rather a prelude to a war.

One thing, China has not even bothered to offer apologies to the world for the epidemic that has brought devastation. I also don't remember Beijing expressing regret when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit the world in 2003. Then, there were no U.S. apologies for the 2008 global recession triggered by the U.S.-originated subprime mortgage crisis. Shamelessness may be the hallmark of superpowers (a necessary digression).

Korea's reactions to Harris and Xing are worth looking at from the perspectives of Washington and Beijing.

From Washington, Korea is seen as continuing a drift from the U.S. on a trajectory toward China, while Beijing obviously wants to speed up the process.

Korea's Chinese drift has its origin in the thoughts of progressives who tended to equate anti-Americanism with regaining sovereignty in its truest meaning as the nation became affluent and started seeing Washington as an overbearing big brother. But the pendulum is moving to the opposite extreme for embracing China over the alliance with the U.S.

Putting all your eggs in the same basket is not wise, whether it is in investing or diplomacy. We do need readjustments in our lurch toward Beijing. It may start with calling a spade a spade. We have left the job half done when we raised an issue with the Harris mustache. It will be completed when we tell Xing to behave.

Oh Young-jin (foolsdie@gmail.com, foolsdie5@koreatimes.co.kr) is director of content for The Korea Times.