Chinese ambassador sees THAAD as taboo word in Sino-Korea relations

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming delivers a keynote speech during a forum on the Korea-China relations after the new administration at a hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Newsis

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming said the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system should be a taboo in the Korea-China relations, which came as a warning ahead of Presdient-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration next month.

Ambassador Xing made the remarks during a forum discussing Sino-Korea relations for the next administration, co-hosted by Korea's Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation and China's Charhar Institute and sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Korea, at a hotel in central Seoul, Thursday.

"Sino-Korea relations, which once headed to the worst because of THAAD deployment in Korea, are finally back on track thanks to joint efforts between the two countries, but we have not been completely out of its shadows," Xing said during a keynote speech.

"'THAAD' has become a taboo word in Sino-Korea relations and the two countries should not follow in the wake of it. China and Korea should respect each other's core interest and concerns and promote strategic communication and mutual understanding for the next 30 years of bilateral relations."

The remarks came as a warning since President-elect Yoon pledged to set up additional U.S. THAAD batteries in South Korea in order to protect the country from North Korea's high-angle launch missiles and other weaponry.

Yoon criticized the current Moon Jae-in administration's "three noes" ― no additional THAAD deployment, no trilateral alliance with the U.S. and Japan and no integration into a U.S.-led missile defense system.

The ambassador also mentioned the increasing inter-Korean tensions with new elements emerging.

"This is not what China wants. China has been asking for the U.S. to restore trust with North Korea to resume talks," he said.

Ambassador Xing also noted that the One China policy should be the base of political cooperation between Korea and China and he hopes Korea to stick to the policy.

In regard to the recent feuds between Korea and China on cultural and historical issues such as hanbok and kimchi, ambassador Xing said, "We should respect both cultures difference and uniqueness, but also face the similarities between them."

This comment is on the same context as the Chinese embassy in Korea's statement released in February, which claimed that hanbok belongs to Koreans as well as China's ethnic minority "joseonjok," who share the same lineage as Koreans.

Xing cited Korean dramas to emphasize the close relationships between Korea and China.

"Sino-Korea relations is not a zero-sum game in the 'Squid Game,' but a neighbor like 'Reply 1988' and share the same fate, proven by history of the past as well as present," he said. "China and Korea should make bilateral relations maturer and stabler as the diplomatic ties between the two countries turn 30 this year."