Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong summoned the Republic of Korea's Ambassador Chung Jae-ho on Saturday, in a tit-for-tat move after Beijing's envoy to the ROK was summoned last week over comments relating to Seoul's relationship with Washington.

Nong urged the ROK to deeply reflect on the problems in bilateral ties and deal with them seriously, saying that the ROK's reaction was inappropriate.

ROK's Foreign Ministry summoned China's Ambassador Xing Haiming on Friday to protest comments he made saying that Seoul is tilting toward the United States and away from China.

Xing made the remarks during a meeting on Thursday with the ROK's opposition leader Lee Jaemyung of the Democratic Party, urging the ROK to avoid interference by external factors when handling ties with China, adding that "those who bet the United States will win and China will lose are obviously making a misjudgment."

Xing said during the meeting that the Chinese government has made great efforts to develop China-ROK ties, and China is not to blame for the difficulties the ties are currently facing.

Xing said that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and called for the ROK to honor its commitment and respect China's concerns over the Taiwan question.

Explaining China's view and position over the current situation, Nong said it is Xing's duty to have extensive contact and exchanges with people from all sectors in the ROK.

The purpose of such engagement is to enhance understanding and cooperation and maintain and promote the growth of bilateral ties, Nong said.

Nong called for the ROK to observe the spirit of the two countries' joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations and work with China to jointly promote healthy and steady development of bilateral ties.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday that "relevant parties" in the ROK should put the meeting between Xing and Lee into perspective and "focus on how to face up to problems and realize the stability and growth of China-ROK relations".