SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and China announced Tuesday that they will work to improve their relationship, which has been badly strained by the deployment of an American missile defense system, with Seoul saying their leaders are set to hold talks next week.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and China announced Tuesday that they will work to improve their relationship, which has been badly strained by the deployment of an American missile defense system, with Seoul saying their leaders are set to hold talks next week.
The thaw in relations comes amid increased regional tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to both countries next week as part of his first Asian tour.
Relations between Beijing and Seoul have been testy since South Korea allowed the U. S. to deploy a contentious missile defense system on its soil, triggering economic retaliation from China. China views the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system’s powerful radar as a threat to its own security. South Korea and the U. S. say the system is purely defensive and aimed at countering possible North Korean threats.
China and South Korea recently agreed that they should soon normalize their relations and boost cooperation for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry statement said Beijing reaffirmed its opposition to THAAD and asked South Korea to handle « relevant issues appropriately, » while South Korea reiterated the system doesn’t target China. It said military officials of the two countries will discuss Chinese worries about the THAAD system.
Seoul’s presidential office announced separately that President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold summit talks next week on the sidelines of an annual regional forum in Vietnam. It would be their second one-on-one meeting since Moon’s inauguration in May.
