Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in Beijing later Thursday for talks on North Korea and trade, as tensions between the two major Asian economies begin to thaw after a spat over Seoul’s deployment of a U. S. missile shield.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in Beijing later Thursday for talks on North Korea and trade, as tensions between the two major Asian economies begin to thaw after a spat over Seoul’s deployment of a U. S. missile shield.
North Korea’s missile and nuclear program will likely dominate Moon’s first state visit to China since coming to office in May. Moon is seeking engagement with the isolated nation, but has backed pressure to bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table. Beijing has made a “suspension-for-suspension” proposal that involves North Korea suspending weapons tests while the U. S. halts military drills with South Korea.
Tensions rose between the nations last year after then President Park Geun-hye decided to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, missile shield on South Korean soil. That move led Beijing to retaliate economically, suspending sales of package tours and hindering the operations of South Korean companies.
Read about why Thaad bothers China so much
While Moon initially called for a review of the deployment, his government backed the system as Kim Jong Un’s regime accelerated efforts to obtain the capability to hit the continental U.
