Pundits say South Korea-China relations could go downhill, … while North Korea-China relations could move up.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea on Wednesday accused rival North Korea of floating propaganda leaflets down a river in the first such incident.
The Chinese diplomat also met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, also attending the conference in Laos, assuring him that Beijing and Pyongyang remain traditional friends and asserting that China is committed to resolving problems of the Korean peninsula through talks.
Yonhap did not carry further comments by Ri but in the past the North has demanded the withdrawal of USA military from South Korea and an end to joint drills by US and South Korean forces involving nuclear-powered equipment.
“It is not aimed at any other party other than North Korea and the threat it poses and this defensive weapons system is neither designed nor capable of threatening China’s security interests”, Reuters quoted a US official as saying.
The South Korean foreign minister had talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, too.
A Seoungju resident takes part in a protest against the government’s decision on deploying a U.S. THAAD anti-missile defense unit in Seongju, in Seoul, South Korea, July 21, 2016.
North Korea came under the latest round of United Nations Security Council sanctions in March after Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range rocket the following month.
In a statement, SCDPK called the deployment a “provocative move against North Korea, China, and Russia” that will “redraw Cold War lines as well as escalate tensions in a region that is already heavily militarized with weapons of mass destruction”.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho flew to Laos with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday, as the pair prepared for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
He noted that the ballistic missile defense system is one the country’s key domestic defense capabilities.
South Korea is ready to advance its strategic partnership with China as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year.
It meant that “China would want to hurt South Korea through some economic measures – for example when it comes to the implementation of a free trade agreement between China and South Korea”, Sun said.
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The recent ratcheting of global and bilateral sanctions against North Korea is ultimately geared towards resuming credible negotiations with Pyongyang, worldwide experts said at a Seoul forum on Tuesday.
