Chinese President Xi Jinping receives a letter from President Moon Jae-in through a special envoy.[Yonhap News Photo]
There have been clear signs of a thaw in frozen ties between Seoul and Beijing since a new liberal government took office in South Korea this month but breaking a diplomatic deadlock caused by a US missile shield in Northeast Asia is not an easy issue.
At talks Thursday with South Korea's special presidential envoy, Lee Hae-chan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Seoul administration to clear the "obstacle" that has strained ties, referring to a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) battery brought into the Korean peninsula by US troops.
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended an apparent olive branch at his meeting with Lee Friday, calling for the development of Sino-Korean relations based on "mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust". The envoy quoted Xi as expressing his hope that the two countries would solve disputes well to put relations back into shape.
Yet, it's not clear whether Beijing wants the complete removal of the THAAD battery, which is out of Seoul's reach under a mutual defense pact that has been the backbone of security ties between South Korea and the United States since US troops fought alongside South Korea against North Korean and Chinese soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean conflict.
The removal of sensitive American military equipment from the Korean peninsula requires high-level negotiations probably between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.
In response to Trump's sudden demand that Seoul to bear the cost of operating a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, Moon gave no outright answer, saying only that he would use it as a "diplomatic card".
Moon's ruling Democratic Party maintained that the THAAD battery had been brought in and deployed without prior parliamentary approval. The defense ministry argued that it came under the jurisdiction of defense pacts and required no parliamentary ratification.
In his inaugural speech on May 10, Moon pledged active and bold diplomacy to protect South Korea's national interests. However, Trump wants Seoul to increase the cost of stationing US troops and their equipment on the Korean peninsula.
At home, Moon should risk a conservative backlash as earlier surveys found many South Korean voters regard the missile shield as an effective tool to cope with North Korean missile threats.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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