ED No to 'wolf warrior diplomacy'

China slammed for excessive demands on THAAD

China has come under criticism for having asked South Korea to abide by its previous pledge of “Three Nos” regarding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Wednesday, “South Korea expressed its respectful stance on the THAAD issue in 2017.” He added, “A new leader can't turn a blind eye to past debts,” calling on Seoul to act with caution in relation to the sensitive issue affecting the security of neighboring countries.

His comment came in response to Foreign Minister Park Jin's statement at the National Assembly on July 25 that the “Three Nos” was just an explanation of the South Korean government's stance on the matter, not a formal agreement between the two countries. The former Moon Jae-in administration said it would neither deploy additional THAAD missiles, nor participate in the missile defense (MD) regime initiated by the United States, nor join the trilateral military alliance with the U.S. and Japan. Such a stance came to prevent China from stepping up its economic retaliation against Seoul's THAAD deployment.

Lijian's remark is entirely improper as it was taken to mean that pressure on the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is continuing so as to keep the promise for the “Three Nos.” It is an infringement on the nation's sovereignty. South Korea has its sole right to opt for the THAAD deployment as a military tactic to cope with the threats from North Korea's potential nuclear and missile attacks. Should China earnestly want to see peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia, it should first proactively persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear development program.

If Beijing succeeds in dissuading Pyongyang from its nuclear ambition, there would be no reason for Seoul to seek THAAD deployment. China is not authorized to ask South Korea to stay away from the MD regime and the prospect of a three-way military alliance. China should stop such reckless and rude interventions.

The U.S. said THAAD is a safe and trustworthy defense system being used to protect South Korea's sovereignty from outside aggression. Martin Meiners, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, said in a press briefing, “Future development of THAAD missiles will be bilaterally agreed.” The U.S. State Department also said that the THAAD decision was made for defensive purposes.

China has taken flak by installing in Shandong Province a large radar network with a longer detection range than THAAD radars to target the Korean Peninsula and Japan. China's pressuring of South Korea in relation to the THAAD issues is “wolf warrior diplomacy” due to their aggressive foreign policy. Minister Park is set to leave for China soon to discuss bilateral issues including THAAD.

He needs to clarify that the THAAD issue cannot be the object of China's pressure and that Seoul is authorized to determine the matter as it wishes. We hope the two nations will mutually respect each other and improve relations for a better future as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.