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Bloomberg
President Moon Jae-in told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that he’s aware of Beijing’s concerns over a U.S. missile shield installed on South Korean territory and will work to resolve the problem.
In their first phone conversation since his election victory this week, Moon told Xi that it may become easier to settle differences over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system if North Korea stops its provocations, Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s senior secretary for public relations, said on Thursday. The South Korean leader said he plans to send a special envoy to China to discuss Thaad and North Korea.
Moon also asked Xi to address the “restraints and restrictions†on South Korean companies doing business in China because they’re experiencing “difficulties†over the deployment, according to Yoon. The 40-minute conversation was the first in eight months between the heads of the two nations as relations suffered after Moon’s predecessor allowed the US to install Thaad. Moon also spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday, with the two agreeing to cooperate closely on the North Korea issue.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sought the help of China, South Korea and Japan in pressuring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to halt testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. The impeachment and ouster of Park Geun-hye left a vacuum in South Korea’s leadership at a time when tensions on the peninsula rose to the highest in years. Moon has long said the next South Korean government should review the Thaad deployment and decide to allow it only after seeking China’s understanding. In his inaugural address, he promised to “negotiate sincerely†with the U.S. and China to resolve the issue. He also wants China to play a greater role to convince Kim to give up his quest to develop a nuclear weapon that can reach the American mainland.
Moon said Pyongyang’s nuclear issue should be addressed “comprehensively and gradually,†not only with pressure but also through talks, because current international sanctions are also aimed at guiding Kim’s regime to return to dialogue, Yoon said.