S. Korea-China Summit
South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping met with each other in Hangzhou, China on September 5 and agreed to continuous strategic communication concerning North Korean nuclear threats. When it comes to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, both sides failed to narrow their gap of opinions.
During their summit talks, the South Korean President said that the sole purpose of the THAAD system is to deter North Korean nuclear and missile attacks and, as such, it will by no means infringe upon the security interests of any other country. She also said that the THAAD system will become useless once the North Korean nuclear and missile issues are resolved. The Chinese President made no particular comment with regard to these remarks.
According to the People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency, President Xi Jinping at the summit talks reiterated his stance that China is opposed to the THAAD system in South Korea. “If not properly addressed, this issue will exacerbate the regional strategic stability and relations among states concerned,” he mentioned. Xi added, “China is striving for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peace and stability of the region and issues related to it will be dealt with through dialogues and negotiations.”