Seoul
After South Korea became the first Asian country to join NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), Chinese propagandist Hu Xijin threatened Seoul.
If South Korea takes a path of turning hostile against its neighbours, the end of this path could be a Ukraine, tweeted Hu Xijin on Thursday.
Hu is China’s best-known propagandist on the global stage and his formerly high standing at the Global Times, owned and operated by the Chinese Communist Party, suggests his statements have a degree of official sanction.
The warning for incoming South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is obvious — Get too close to NATO and feel China’s wrath.
Russia, Ukraine’s neighbour, launched special operations in the country on February 24 after Moscow accused Kyiv of turning hostile towards its neighbours.
However, this year’s NATO summit at Madrid is a springboard for establishing a network of like-minded alliances and partnerships spanning the Trans-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, reported to sources.
Threatening to invade South Korea will do little to improve the image of China. Also, China finds it difficult to use the Ukraine template for South Korea’s invasion as it may end up paying a heavy price- militarily, economically and diplomatically.
It’s not clear whether Hu is suggesting China, South Korea’s neighbour to the west, is prepared to invade the Korean Peninsula if Seoul joins international organizations Xi Jinping doesn’t like, reported to sources.
Amid strong opposition from the US and its allies, China has been treading cautiously. It is testing waters to gauge how the west block would react in case it attacks Taiwan.
