U.S. promises to protect S. Korea against any Chinese retaliatory action

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach said on Thursday (local time) that Washington is ready to do its utmost to keep Seoul intact in the face of any retaliatory action that Beijing may take if Seoul joins the U.S.-led Economic Prosperity Network (EPN) or sanctions against Huawei. He called upon U.S. allies and partners to agree to anti-China policy and build unity, emphasizing the urgency for the international community to come forward to fight against the threats and retaliations by the Chinese government.

With major media networks from five countries including India and Brazil in presence, a telephone press conference was held on Thursday where Under Secretary Krach elaborated Washington’s economic sanctions and policy framework regarding issues with China. The Dong-A Ilbo was the only South Korean media outlet that was invited to the telephone press conference.
As for the request by Washington for its allies to join U.S. policy toward China, the under secretary said that it is not a matter of choosing either Washington or Beijing, adding that everyone is entitled to a choice and at the heart of the issue is trust.

Under Secretary Krach stressed the importance of economic cooperation between the United States and South Korea, saying that South Korea is one of the world’s biggest economic and technological powerhouses as well as one of the major trade partners not only to the United States but also to the rest of the world. Meanwhile, he highly commended Samsung Electronics for being one of the world’s top three 5G players and boasting off a high level of semiconductor production technology.

lightee@donga.com