China’s Foreign Minister to visit the US from Feb. 23-25

Posted on : 2016-02-23 17:08 KST Modified on : 2016-02-23 17:08 KST
In meetings with Secretary of State John Kerry, Wang Yi expected to discuss THAAD and sanctions on North Korea
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing
US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing

China’s Foreign Minister is paying a three-day official visit to the US on Feb. 23 to 25.

Minister Wang Yi is expected to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry and other high-ranking US officials to discuss the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula, an anticipated United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution sanctioning North Korea for its recent nuclear test, and territorial issues in the South China Sea.

Speaking in a regular briefing on Feb. 22, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Wang was visiting the US at Kerry’s request.

“The two sides will be exchanging views on China-US relations and international and regional issues of common interest,” Hua explained. Wang’s visit comes roughly a month after Kerry visited China on Jan. 26.

Hua also predicted an “in-depth sharing of opinions on Korean Peninsula issues” during the visit. Two ministers may also make their final coordinations on the terms of the upcoming UNSC resolution.

“We’ve been pretty busy with discussions over the past ten days - they’ve been going on nearly every day,” said a South Korean government official.

Also noteworthy will be Kerry‘s reaction to Wang’s proposal to the US on Feb. 17 for a two-track approach toward achieving North Korea‘s denuclearization and a peace treaty between North Korea and the US. In her Feb. 22 briefing, Hua reaffirmed Beijing’s basic principles on Korean Peninsula issues, namely its attempts to achieve denuclearization, peace, and stability and resolve issues peacefully through dialogue. She also stressed the need for other countries to work together to resume dialogue and hold discussions on the denuclearization and replacement of the current armistice agreement with a peace treaty as proposed by Wang.

Wang also appears likely to voice objections to the deployment of a THAAD anti-missile system on the Korean Peninsula.

“A THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula would pose direct damage to China‘s strategic security interests, and we are resolutely opposed to using Korean Peninsula issues as an excuse to harm China’s rightful security interests,” Hua said in the briefing.

In addition, the ministers are also expected to discuss China’s controversial recent deployment of missiles to the Paracel (Xisha) Islands in the South China Sea.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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