China urges South Korea not to let THAAD missile shield become ‘stumbling block’ in relations

Foreign Minister Wang Yi says he had a ‘comprehensive exchange of views’ on the issue with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin

He made the remarks after Seoul said the policy on the anti-missile system would not change because of Beijing’s opposition to it

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Beijing sees Seoul’s THAAD missile shield as a security threat, but South Korea says it is needed to deter threats from the North. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 12 Aug 2022Updated: 5:26pm, 12 Aug 2022

China has urged South Korea not to let its US-made missile defence shield become a “stumbling block” in relations, as the two sides again clash over the THAAD system.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks late on Thursday after meetings with his South Korean and Nepalese counterparts in Qingdao, Shandong this week.

Security differences over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system – installed in South Korea in 2017 – threaten to undermine efforts by Beijing and Seoul to improve bilateral ties, including during Wang’s meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Tuesday.

Wang told reporters that they had “a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views over the US deployment of THAAD in South Korea”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Friday.

“Both sides agreed that they should attach importance to each other’s legitimate security concerns and should properly handle the issue so that it will not become a stumbling block affecting bilateral relations.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Qingdao on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

The relationship has been strained since South Korea announced it would deploy the anti-missile system, which China sees as a security threat, saying its radar could be used to spy on its military activities. Seoul maintains that the system is needed as a deterrent in the face of threats from North Korea.