{
  "id": 12298827,
  "title": "'China has never asked Seoul to choose a side between Beijing, Washington,' envoy says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/china-has-never-asked-seoul-to-choose-a-side-between-beijing-12298827",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T04:32:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/politics/20261006/china-has-never-asked-seoul-to-choose-a-side-between-beijing-washington-envoy-says"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As tensions between the United States and China continue to rise, impacting not just diplomacy but also technology and supply chains, South Korea finds itself in a delicate position. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing emphasized that Seoul does not need to pick a side between Washington and Beijing, stating that maintaining relationships with both countries is in the nation's best interest. In an interview with The Korea Times on September 29, Dai clarified, \"China has never asked Korea to choose a side between China and the United States.\" He expressed hope that South Korea would cultivate robust relations with both nations while making decisions based on its own fundamental interests.\n\nDai urged against viewing East Asian regional order through the lens of U.S.-China competition alone. He emphasized that China's aspiration for South Korea to pursue \"genuine strategic autonomy\" does not entail abandoning its alliance with the U.S. Dai reiterated that China respects the alliance relationship South Korea shares with the United States.",
  "summary": "As competition between the United States and China increasingly extends from diplomacy to technology and supply chains, Seoul faces the challenge of managing ties with its security ally and one of its most important economic partners. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing said Seoul does not need to choose between Washington and Beijing, saying maintaining relations with both countries serves…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "'China has never asked Seoul to choose a side between Beijing, Washington,' envoy says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/china-has-never-asked-seoul-to-choose-a-side-between-beijing",
        "published": "2026-10-06T04:07:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Seoul sent US$2.4 bln to Washington for Texas energy project: finance minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/seoul-sent-us-2-4-bln-to-washington-for-texas-energy-project-finance",
        "published": "2026-10-06T04:50:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}