China prods South Korea to keep promise on US-made anti-missile systems

Beijing urges Seoul’s new leader to uphold predecessor’s pledge to forgo THAAD expansion, saying ‘new officials cannot ignore past debts’
The comments come after South Korean foreign minister appears to back away from policy

North Korea nuclear crisis

Cyril Ip

Published: 5:16pm, 28 Jul 2022

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Beijing has urged Seoul to uphold its previous president’s commitment to refrain from installing more US-made anti-ballistic missile systems after South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin appeared to back away from the policy on Monday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday that, in opposing the expansion of Seoul’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, Beijing was not targeting South Korea, but Washington’s “ill intent to damage China’s strategic security”.

Zhao’s comments came after Park spoke at a parliamentary hearing on Monday, when he said there were insufficient strategic dialogues between China and South Korea despite their historical relationship.

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Seoul installed the THAAD launchers in 2017, sparking strong disapproval and retaliation from Beijing, which claimed that the system’s radar could be used to spy on China.

In exchange for the lifting of unofficial economic sanctions by China, former South Korean president Moon Jae-in in 2017 accepted a “three noes” agreement, which blocked Seoul from expanding its anti-ballistic missile systems, joining a region-wide US missile defence system and entering a military alliance with the US and Japan.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, Park said during the hearing that Moon’s policy on THAAD was not a commitment to China or a formal agreement between the two sides, but a statement of South Korea’s own position.

Zhao said that Moon’s position on THAAD played a key role in enhancing mutual trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries. He said “new officials cannot ignore past debts”, urging South Korea to “act prudently” and “seek fundamental solutions”.

Moon’s successor, Yoon Suk-yeol, may upend the country’s delicately balanced relationship with its main trading partner.

During his campaign, the conservative Yoon used anti-China rhetoric and signalled a more US-leaning foreign policy, stating that a deeper US alliance should be the core of Seoul’s foreign policy and promising to participate in the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, which includes Japan, India and Australia.

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In a phone call between Yoon and Chinese President Xi Jinping in March, the latter described the two countries as “inseparable partners” and said China was willing to work with South Korea to ensure stability in global industrial and supply chains.

Zhao reiterated Xi’s position, saying that China-South Korea relations had “developed comprehensively and rapidly” over the past three decades, which should be “cherished by both sides”.

“Interpersonal relationships are built on trust; international relationships should even more so be this way,” Zhao said. “In any country, no matter which party is in power, no matter its domestic political needs, its foreign policy should maintain basic consistency and stability.”

THAAD also faces domestic opposition in South Korea. Activists argue that it was installed without due democratic process and put surrounding areas at risk, with some blockading a base in Seongju county to stop construction materials from getting in. Protesters in Suseong-ri, a rural village near the base, have faced prosecution after clashing with police, according to local coverage.