<![CDATA[Japan's 'economic sanctions' against South Korea will backfire: Chinese ambassador to Seoul]>

Qiu Guohong, China's ambassador to South Korea, on Wednesday said Japan's "economic sanctions" against South Korea would backfire and would have to be retracted, "as other countries will have to do" " an apparent reference to the US-China trade war.

Speaking at a forum in Incheon arranged by the Saeul Foundation of Culture, Qiu said Tokyo's trade moves would founder amid a lack of international support as Seoul upped the ante by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about the trade dispute.

"There was no incidence in modern history where economic sanctions have brought a country to its knees," he said.

"Since the Korean people have a strong sense of self-respect and they are strong-willed people, it won't be successful for [Japanese] Prime Minister Abe to impose economic sanctions in connection with [historical issues]," Qiu was quoted as saying by local media in response to a question from a panellist.

Such economic retaliations would be neither effective nor secure international backing, he said.

"Japan will also suffer damage from this move and it will have to retract it in the end as other countries will have to do," he said, in an apparent reference to the United States, with which China is engaged in a trade dispute that shows no signs of abating.

On the issue of the East Asian neighbours' historical enmity, Japan was the perpetrator and South Korea was the victim, Qiu said.

"The perpetrator should humbly accept even if the victim makes somewhat excessive demands," he said. "China, also a victim of Japanese militarism, naturally stands together with South Korea."

Qiu made the remarks as Seoul on Tuesday filed a complaint with the WTO over Tokyo's export curbs on three key materials needed for chips and displays, potentially dealing a harsh blow to South Korea's technology industry, the backbone of its economy.

"[Japan's] measure is a discriminatory act directly targeting South Korea, and it was politically motivated following our court rulings on the forced labour [of Korean workers]," Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee told journalists. "Japan also violated its duty to run consistent, fair and reasonable trade rules by regulating trade for political reasons."

Seoul said Tokyo was retaliating against a ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of forced labour during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The court ruled that individual rights to seek compensation were still valid, even if Japan claimed that all compensation was settled when the countries normalised their diplomatic ties in 1965.

Tokyo said the export curbs had nothing to do with retaliation, and were to do with stepping up export controls on materials that could also be used for military purposes, accusing Seoul of laxity in preventing such materials from getting into the wrong hands.

A July rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul denouncing the Japanese government's decision to curb exports to South Korea. Photo: AP alt=A July rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul denouncing the Japanese government's decision to curb exports to South Korea. Photo: AP

In defiance of strong protests from South Korea, Japan last month pushed ahead with the removal of Asia's fourth largest economy from its list of nations given preferential trading terms, subjecting more than 1,000 industrial materials to tougher export regulations.

Now that Seoul has filed a complaint with the WTO, South Korea and Japan have to hold bilateral talks to resolve the issue over the next two months. If they fail to do so, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body will establish a panel to look deeper into the case.

The entire process is expected to take more than three years, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Relations between South Korea and China remain at a low ebb after Seoul in 2017 allowed the deployment of the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile system in the country, a move Beijing sees as a security threat.

"China-South Korea relations are like that of a married couple who can't afford to divorce. No matter how close a married couple's relations may be, there are always ups and downs," Qiu said.

"It is very important to restore mutual trust between the highest authorities. And in that context, the Chinese government is making efforts to realise President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul at an early date," he said without elaborating further.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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