Despite Seoul’s attempts to contain the rows with China over its plan to host a US anti-missile system, tension is expected to endure for the time being given the stark differences between the two countries’ positions, observers said Monday.

President Park Geun-hye held a summit with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the margins of the Group of 20 conference in Hangzhou. The face-to-face meeting was their first since Seoul unveiled its decision last July to station a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here. It was deemed a crucial test for the bilateral ties that South Korea had previously touted as “in the best shape ever.”

During the session, they appear to have managed to boast once again of their personal rapport, with Xi greeting Park entering the meeting hall with a smile before taking photos together. Neither of them brought up the THAAD issue, at least not through direct references.

The perceived upbeat atmosphere contrasted with last month’s ministerial talks in Laos during which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi maintained a stony face, waved his hand and shook his head as he listened to his counterpart Yun Byung-se, while showing off camaraderie with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.

As the meeting with Yun kicked off, Wang opened fire in front of the press, saying Seoul “damaged the basis for the two nations’ mutual trust” through the THAAD decision and urging “practical steps” to safeguard the relationship.

In essence, however, the latest summit reaffirmed both sides’ stances remain far apart.
Park sought to allay Beijing’s resentment by underscoring that THAAD would only be used to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats -- not aimed at China, Russia or any other country -- and once the dangers are gone, the asset would lose its reasons to stay here.

Xi, for his part, displayed his opposition to the system’s deployment. “Mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region, and could intensify disputes,” he was quoted as saying by China’s Xinhua agency.

At his separate summit with US President Barack Obama one day earlier, Xi also made similar remarks, calling for Washington to “respect China’s strategic security interests.”

“With regard to the THAAD issue, the two leaders agreed to continue opinion exchanges and communication in various ways built on their basic positions” including a three-way dialogue which will include the US, senior presidential foreign affairs and security secretary Kim Kyou-hyun said at a news briefing.

A top Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters, “Given the differences, the summit provided a positive chance for the leaders to personally, candidly trade views and promote understanding on the issue for the first time.”

Despite the friction, the meeting may have significance in renewing their resolve and conveying a united message against North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

Pyongyang, which has threatened a “physical response” to the THAAD deployment, fired three ballistic missiles into the East Sea shortly after the Park-Xi meeting. It was the latest in the communist state’s ongoing string of military provocations following last month’s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile which flew about 500 kilometers toward Japan.

Park pointed to the SLBM experiment to highlight the “unprecedented” levels of the North’s threats, Kim noted, expressing hopes for cooperation with Beijing to send a “consistent message.”

Xi restated China’s commitment to a denuclearization of the peninsula as well as a “full, thorough” implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, he added.

“Aside from China’s foreseen hospitality as the G20 host, the summit was meaningful in that the leaders managed to deliver a forward-looking attitude on the bilateral front and North Korea despite the THAAD discord,” another Seoul official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“On the THAAD, it will be critical for us to manage the situation through dialogue and other efforts to close the gap between the sides until the system is actually put in place late next year.”

By Shin Hyon-hee(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)