Overview
- Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing publicly warned that cooperation on South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarines touches the international nonproliferation regime and regional stability.
- Seoul and Washington released a joint fact sheet confirming plans to work together so South Korea can build conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines with U.S. approval and fuel support.
- South Korea maintains the envisioned submarines would carry conventional weapons and comply fully with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
- Dai said China’s posture toward the South Korea–U.S. alliance would change if its strategic purpose expands beyond addressing North Korea.
- The envoy cautioned against any alliance role in a Taiwan contingency and defended China’s sanctions on five U.S.-linked Hanwha Ocean subsidiaries as countermeasures, noting a one-year suspension announced this week.