Even before it took place, there were low expectations for South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China, highlighted by a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. As it turns out, things have gone worse than expected.
China and South Korea, adversaries in the 1950-53 Korean War, are this year celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations. In that quarter century, China has risen to become Korea’s top investment and export destination.
This requires Seoul diplomats to walk a tricky tightrope between economic partner China and strategic ally the United States – complicated by the fact that Seoul shares Beijing’s animosity toward Tokyo over historical issues.
In an obvious red light, the two countries had, prior to Moon’s visit this week agreed not to release a joint statement or hold a press conference after their leaders’ summit.
Beijing continue to simmer over the deployment of the US THAAD (Theater High-Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile battery in South Korea. Prior to the trip, even South Korea’s left-leaning Hankyoreh editorialized: “China displays misguided focus on THAAD issue in advance of Moon-Xi summit.”
So, things looked challenging from the outset as there was much to discuss, but hopes were low. Even so, South Korean officials must be dismayed by how badly things have deteriorated.
The visit has been marred by what Korean media claim is disrespect toward their president, and further marred by an apparent assault on journalists by Chinese security guards.
Moon was greeted by a vice-ministerial level foreign ministry official when he landed in Beijing on Wednesday, and was not invited to a customary lunch with the Chinese premier. Korean media portrayed both as snubs.
In fact, senior Chinese officials were attending a commemoration of the Nanjing Massacre on the day Moon arrived, raising questions about the trip’s timing.
Things deteriorated yesterday, when Korean photojournalists following the presidential entourage were assaulted by Chinese security guards as they tried to follow the president into a trade show.
The ruck flooded Korea’s internet immediately, and received front-page coverage in domestic media today.
While anyone who has attended a Korean press conference will know that jostling crowds of photographers are frequently distracting, what happened in Beijing looked extreme. An assault by a mass of fist-wielding Chinese security guards was captured on camera.
Presidential officials and security detail members were reportedly engulfed in the push-and-shove on the sidelines, and one photographer ended up in hospital.
The security guards had, ironically, been hired by a Korean trade promotion body, KOTRA, but were reportedly operating under the oversight of Chinese police.
Yesterday evening, the results of the Moon-Xi summit appeared underwhelming, with the two agreeing to four principles when handling North Korea: No tolerance for war on the peninsula; a firm resolve to denuclearization; resolution to be achieved through negotiations; and a recognition that improved inter-Korean ties will further efforts toward a peaceful outcome.
Regarding THAAD, Xi reiterated China’s position and said he hopes South Korea, “will continue to respect its stance and adequately address the issue,” Korea’s foreign ministry said.
A presidential official, attempting to put a positive spin on the summit, told Yonhap newswire that Xi spoke less about THAAD on Thursday than during his two previous meetings with Moon
Korean media has been scathing. Commenting on the low-ranked official welcome, the lack of a prime ministerial lunch, “rude” Chinese media coverage and the violence, the Joongang Ilbo, South Korea’s number two newspaper, editorialized: “We must not let this incident go … the government must be stern with this case regardless of the president’s agenda.”
The opposition has waded in, calling the visit a “fiasco.” “How can a government that allows journalists to be assaulted protect its citizens?” People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo asked, according to Yonhap. “It has to squarely face the fact that citizens’ pride has been bruised by the case.”
The original diplomatic row between Beijing and Seoul was sparked by Seoul’s deployment of a US THAAD battery. Seoul says that the system exclusively defends against North Korean threats, but Beijing insists that its radar allows Washington to snoop on Chinese systems.
Muddying the waters for Moon, the deployment took place under disgraced former conservative President Park Geun-hye, who was ejected from office in March. This paved the way for the liberal Moon’s May electoral victory.
Park initially cozied up to Xi. She learnt Mandarin and was the only major democratic leader to attend Beijing’s World War II victory parade in 2015. But she abruptly changed track when, amid Beijing’s lukewarm actions toward Pyongyang and the latter’s subsequent advances in strategic arms, she agreed to deploy THAAD in July 2016.
This was just four months before the mass protests that eventually led to her impeachment.
Beijing retaliated economically, imposing travel bans on Chinese charter tours to Korea – a significant segment of their tourism market – and disadvantaged Korean companies in China. The most notable was the boycotting of the Lotte Group, which donated a golf course for the THAAD battery system.
In October, Seoul and Beijing appeared to overcome their difficulties after Seoul offered to deploy no further THAAD batteries, to refrain from joining the US missile defense shield, and stating that it will not join any formal Korea-Japan-US security alliance in the region.
Still, Beijing appears only slightly mollified, with officials and media continuing to criticize THAAD.
Beijing continue to simmer over the deployment of the US THAAD (Theater High-Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile battery in South Korea. I THOUGHT IT WAS THERMAL NOT THEATER
South Korea is not a country, it is part of a country called Korea. Presently, South Korea is merely an hostage of the USA and the USA uses the South Koreans as human shields, like the infamous murderer, Ghenghis Khan, used his prisoners as human shields to attack other countries. Like the Mongols in the thirteenth century, the Americans are cannibals, murderers and rapists.
South Korea needs to expel the American armed forces from its territory if it wants to have a normal relationship with China.
Moon, is in a difficult spot———-if he was smart he would tell the Americans to pack up the THAAD missile system and send it too Japan———I want to know who on Moon’s staff planned this trip————it sort of remainds me of Obama’s last trip to China———-remember how badily that went for the Americans from Obama to his staff to the press.
Greg Way Clearly Michael Chan is clueless driven by his hatred of the USA. South Korea is not our hostage, we are their hostage.
Art Laramee Very uniques one, only happen to America…
“It has to squarely face the fact that citizens’ pride has been bruised by the case.” Koreans do not have pride and their country is merely a vassal state of USA
"Park initially cozied up to Xi. She learnt Mandarin and was the only major democratic leader to attend Beijing’s World War II victory parade in 2015." This is the problem of called "democratic leaders"! They do not regard a WWII victory over Jap invaders in pacific theatre is a commemerable moment because they shamelessly allied with the invaders after the war!
It is possible that he has holdovers from the last administration in his office and equally possible that the NK MSM may be loyal to the govt groups that kowtow to the US.
That would be the smart thing to do for SK but it would mean his life.. and not just his political life.
You are nothing but a mouth piece of the new Evil Empire called Communist China.
THAAD is not missile defense, it’s a first strike nuclear weapon, just minutes from China.
For China it’s like somebody put nuclear armed missiles in Cuba.
It is an extremely aggressive move by the USA, and China will not rest until the US removes them.
Blue Moon
This writer obviously playing with hate politics ans inciting misunderstanding.
Do your homework in thorough and fair manner, mr Salmon.
It is neither Theater (but it was formerly) nor Thermal. It is Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.
Did North Korea not invade the South?
A dog is usually obedient to its master.
If CHINA wants to remove the THAAD in the Korean Peninsula, they should push North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, they are just only making chicken talk. Definitely Koreans doesnt like war but in the event on defensive position and the subject matter is Nuclear Arsenal. Its a serious Threat imagine North is investing to Armaments for their ambition to be a strong country but look to its people they are starving tortured to death. Did china hear the voice of those helpless people. and all countries influence by China are becoming poor. See Sri Langka, Cambodia, Laos, and the great North Korea. One of the primary reason, why the South Koreans choose to invest in THAAD its merely for its people. I hope CHINA understand that, if CHINA dont wat the THAAD. they should be serious in handling the de-nuclearation of North. Invest in Peoples welfare not for ARMS.
Greg Way. You are incorrect. You did not include f the ongoung arguments over it’s sea borders and the Sprattley Island. They have not settled their borders with all countries .
Nuno Cardoso da Silva. No not similar at all.One was a powerful communist country with no respect for human rights totally takibg over another coubtry and installing it’s iwn idea of law.The other was a democratic country assisting a smaller country at their request to help them develop and defent it’s self.Many South Koreans are glad or US is helping, although not all!.You will not find a single Tibetian person who is glad of China’s take over of their sovereign country, except a few corrupt officials who gained power and monetory wealth from it. The US will leave SK when they are told by SK that they have to.Will China leave Tibrt?
May Chinese journalists should barred from entering Korean Presidantial headquaters.
Greg Way …. ya right no disputes with any neighbour except india and bhutan …. u joking bro ???
Greg Way China is also having internal border disputes with Taiwan, Hongkong and Tibet. They are also fighting with Japan over some islands off the coast of Taiwan, and have had recent difficulties with Vietnam and a few other south east asian countries over costal territory