After 4-year gap, China’s top diplomat visits South Korea to mend ties

China’s top diplomat arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, visiting South Korea for the first time in more than four years as the two countries seek to repair ties that soured over the deployment of United States anti-missile systems in South Korea.

During his two-day stay, the State Councillor Wang Yi will meet South Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha and President Moon Jae-in, officials in Seoul said.

Reuters reports that Yi last visited the South Korean capital for a trilateral meeting, also attended by Japan, in 2015.

A year later a row blew up over the planned siting in South Korea of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, designed to intercept ballistic missiles.

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Beijing said it upset the regional security balance as the system’s powerful radar could penetrate into Chinese territory.

South Korea and the US went ahead regardless, installing the anti-missile system in 2017, saying it was warranted because of North Korea’s provocations.

North Korea had test fired dozens of missiles since Moon Jae-in took office in 2017, most recently on the US Thanksgiving holiday last week.

South Korea sees China as instrumental in reviving stalled denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea, a longtime ally of Beijing.

 

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