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.



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