Seoul’s foreign ministry has dismissed China’s objection to the participation of some Asia-Pacific countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) summit.
 
In a regular briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam reiterated the Seoul government's position that South Korea is attending the summit to discuss ways to promote comprehensive cooperation with countries sharing core values and standards.
 
Choi stressed South Korea had already made it clear that Seoul’s participation in the NATO summit does not aim to exclude or target a particular country.
 
NATO invited four non-member countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea, to its session in Madrid on Wednesday, when it adopted its strategic concept that labeled China a “systemic challenge.”
 
That same day, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called for the international community to voice fierce objection to NATO’s recent move to stoke group confrontation, beyond regions and areas.
 
Chinese ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming also lashed out at NATO on Thursday, calling on the military alliance to stop spreading false facts against China and halt provocative speech and actions.
 
He used harsh rhetoric to criticize NATO during a forum marking 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea.