THAAD row mars Moon, Xi summit
By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in Beijing Thursday during Moon’s state visit to China, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.
However, the leaders will not issue a joint statement or hold a press conference afterward, reflecting their different views on South Korea’s deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
After arriving in Beijing Wednesday, Moon will attend an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Thursday afternoon. He and Xi will then have bilateral talks, the third of their kind following previous ones in July and November.
“The two leaders will review the past 25 years of diplomatic relations and discuss ways to boost political and economic cooperation and cultural and human exchanges, for a more matured and future-oriented strategic partnership,” said Nam Gwan-pyo, deputy head of the National Security Office.
They will talk about resolving issues surrounding North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and linking Xi’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative and Moon’s “New Northern Policy” and “New Southern Policy,” all of which seek to expand economic cooperation.
The two governments, however, decided not to issue a joint statement.
“China is showing a different opinion on the (THAAD) issue; a joint statement would have to carry such conflict, so we agreed not to issue one,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said.
“Also, there will be no press conference after the summit. Instead the two leaders will issue a press announcement that will carry each of their stances.”
Pressure over THAAD
On Oct. 31, Seoul and Beijing agreed to resume relations and move forward despite the THAAD row.
While Seoul concluded the agreement settled the dispute and the issue would not be brought up again, Beijing has wanted Seoul to take more steps to ensure its security from the anti-missile system. It has wanted South Korea to confirm its “promises” not to deploy additional THAAD batteries, not to join a U.S.-led broader missile defense system, and not to form a South Korea-U.S.-Japan military alliance _ the so-called “three nos” _ while South Korea says these were not promises but just expressions of the government’s position.
“We cannot suggest a solution that China wants, and China knows its push cannot change the situation for now. It is difficult for the two nations to make an official announcement on the THAAD issue,” the official said.
In Beijing, Moon will also meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss details on economic cooperation, and Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, on the North Korea issue and cooperation between the two nations’ legislative bodies.
Moon will then head for Chongqing, a city where Korea’s provisional government was located from 1940 to 1945 during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of Korea and a key region for the One Road, One Belt initiative.
He will be the first South Korean president to visit Chongqing.
The President will have lunch with Chen Miner, secretary of the Communist Party of Chongqing who is said to be one of the next-generation political leaders of the country.