Time for Seoul to reassess its borrowed policy

While the planned visit of Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to China from Monday to Tuesday is not expected to mend the bilateral relationship, it is anticipated that it will at least help both sides work toward that end.

Cho's visit comes at a time when the ROK has a trade deficit of $18 billion with China, which was previously the source of its largest trade surplus. This is the first trade deficit the ROK has had with China since the two sides forged diplomatic ties in 1992. The reason is political rather than economic.

As ROK-based East Asia Daily pointed out, China imported $4.48 billion worth of semiconductors from the ROK in 2023, 20.3 percent lower than in 2022. This is due to the United States cajoling the ROK to limit its chip exports to China. In other words, it is the ROK that has suffered most heavily by faithfully heeding the US' call for its allies to cut their chips supply to China.