China, South Korea defence ministers hold first meeting in two years
Relations between two nations soured amid row over the deployment of a US-developed missile defence shield in South Korea
China and South Korea’s defence ministers have held their first talks in nearly two years, amid the two countries dispute over the deployment of a controversial US missile defence shield.
China’s Chang Wanquan and South Korean Defence Minister Song Young-moo met for about 30 minutes in Clark in the Philippines on the sidelines of a regional security forum on Tuesday, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
“Such a bilateral meeting between the defence ministers is meaningful in itself as it represents both sides’ desire to improve ties despite the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence issue,” the report quoted an unnamed South Korean official as saying.
The official would not give details on what was discussed in the talks, citing a deal with China not to release the information, the report said.
The meeting, initiated by South Korea, came within weeks of South Korea’s new ambassador to China, Noh Young-min, stressing the importance of ties between the two countries, saying they were inseparable.