Seoul’s budding military ties with Beijing hit a snag as it tries to stay on Washington’s good side
- South Korea needs the US as it looks to resume diplomatic ties with North Korea, meaning defence cooperation with China could be an issue, analysts say
- Similarly, while trilateral security ties between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo were emphasised by a US delegation last week, lingering tensions with Japan remain
Seoul and Beijing earlier this month expanded their military communications to avoid potential miscalculations, adding two new direct lines between their navies and air forces to the three existing hotlines, while they also held their 19th round of defence talks to explore ways to promote peace on the Korean peninsula. The moves came after four Chinese warplanes and 15 Russian aircraft in December entered South Korea’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
South Korean defence minister Suh Wook, who held talks last week with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Monday told Bloomberg the new China lines had been discussed with the American officials.
“We also explained the dialogue we’ve been having with our Chinese military counterparts, especially on setting up a hotline to continue intercommunication regarding flying into the Korea ADIZ – how we are discussing the matter and taking actions on it,” he said.