Seoul appears wary of angering Beijing by openly violating Moon-era agreement, but ambiguous approach also carries risks
Even as they recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties, South Korea and China couldn’t avoid clashing over one of the major points of friction in their relationship.
Following a meeting between their top diplomats last month, China’s foreign ministry reiterated its support for the so-called three nos agreement, under which the previous Moon administration reportedly promised that Seoul would not install additional THAAD missile interceptors, not join a U.S.-led missile defense network and not enter into a trilateral alliance with Washington and Tokyo.
Even as they recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties, South Korea and China couldn’t avoid clashing over one of the major points of friction in their relationship.
Following a meeting between their top diplomats last month, China’s foreign ministry reiterated its support for the so-called three nos agreement, under which the previous Moon administration reportedly promised that Seoul would not install additional THAAD missile interceptors, not join a U.S.-led missile defense network and not enter into a trilateral alliance with Washington and Tokyo.
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