Chinese embassy building in Jung District, central Seoul in 2026. [YONHAP]
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Thursday criticized recent remarks by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, likening Korea to a "dagger" in Asia from Beijing's perspective amid an intensifying U.S.-Sino rivalry.
In a podcast interview hosted by the U.S. Army War College on Friday, Brunson was quoted as describing Korea as "the dagger in the heart of Asia," amid lingering speculation that the United States would seek to leverage USFK assets to help deter an increasingly assertive China.
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Last year, Brunson also highlighted the strategic value of Korea in overcoming geographic constraints in the broader Indo-Pacific, depicting the Asian ally as a "fixed aircraft carrier" in the region.
