Did Beijing just give South Korea’s Moon the cold shoulder?
The leader of one of China’s biggest trading partners had a less than hospitable reception upon his first official visit
President Moon Jae-in met top aides on his trip to China this month, touting a “more mature” relationship between Seoul and Beijing despite his treatment during the official visit widely being seen as humiliating.
Moon arrived in the Chinese capital on December 13, hoping his first visit to China since taking office in May would repair fractured relations.
China wins its war against South Korea’s US THAAD missile shield – without firing a shot
To defend against the looming threat of a North Korean attack, South Korea had decided in July 2016 to deploy a US-built anti-ballistic missile system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD). Beijing claimed Washington could use THAAD’s radar to spy on China and retaliated with unofficial economic sanctions against Korea.
Moon wanted those sanctions lifted as well as China’s promise to put more pressure on North Korea. But when he arrived at the airport, he was greeted by Kong Xuanyou, the deputy foreign minister.
“China’s history shows that China offers extravagant reception to the powerful and poor treatment for the weak,” wrote Ko Dae-hoo in an op-ed for the Korea JoongAng Daily.
“Korea does not expect the ‘imperial reception’ of emptying out the entire Forbidden City as it did for Trump. Yet, the president of Korea is hardly a position to be treated poorly.”
