Talks under way for Moon Jae-in visit to Beijing ‘within this year’
Analysts and diplomatic sources say China wants South Korean president to meet Xi in Beijing before a possible trip to Tokyo for a summit
Beijing and Seoul are in talks to arrange a visit to China by South Korean President Moon Jae-in before the year is out – and analysts and diplomatic sources say China wants it to take precedence over his possible trip to Japan for a summit.
Seoul meanwhile is not considering any further THAAD deployments and would not join the US-led missile defence networks, South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha told a parliamentary hearing on Monday, news agency Yonhap reported.
South Korea’s deployment of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence missile system in March to guard against potential attacks from the North angered China, which sees it as a security threat.
When asked on Monday about plans for a trip to Beijing by Moon, Kang said the timing was being discussed with China.
“Given the leaders of the two countries agreed on the visit [by Moon] to China at a mutually convenient time when they met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 gathering in early July, discussions are under way to coordinate its timing,” Kang was quoted as saying. “We are pushing to make it happen within this year.”