Beijing and Seoul Have ‘Properly Handled’ Dispute Over U.S. Missile Defense System

Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Qingdao, Shandong province on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Beijing and Seoul have “properly handled” the dispute over the placement of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea “at the current stage,” the Chinese authorities said, in a sign of progress on an issue which pushed relations into a deep freeze in 2016.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference Wednesday that the two sides have handled their disagreements over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system based on “mutual understanding.” Wang didn’t specify any change in either countries policy.