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A cartoon by Chinese cartoonist Badiucao (who lives in Australia) criticizing the Chinese government’s economic retaliation against South Korea over THAAD

As many in China continue attacking South Korea over its THAAD missile defense system deployment decision, some are now arguing for a different approach, insisting that the US should be made to pay a price instead of focusing all the punishment on South Korea.

“It is the US that initiated the THAAD deployment in South Korea, and the US that has pushed it forward,” the Global Times wrote in a Mar. 9 editorial.

“The key question is how China responds to the US’s strategic infringement,” it continued. As a concrete step, the editorial suggested additional nuclear armament by China.

It is not unusual for the Global Times to bring up the idea of additional nuclear armament, which it has emphasized repeatedly in the past. But the reference to retaliation against the US is likely to be a reflection of recent public opinion in China. Recently, social media users in China have expressed the view that the US should also be punished.

“It’s the US that’s deploying THAAD. Why not boycott Apple?” wrote one user.

The Chinese government has also been singled out for criticism on Twitter - which is blocked in China - and accused of trying to make up for its own “diplomatic failure” by doing nothing about widespread hostilities toward South Korea and Lotte.

“The government is diplomatically incompetent, so it persuades the masses to create trouble against foreigners. It’s no different from the Boxer Rebellion [a 1899-1901 anti-imperialist uprising in China],” wrote author Wu Zhuolai.

“Lotte is a South Korean business that needs to obey South Korea’s national interests. How are you going to change that?” Wu continued.

In a reasoned criticism, Wu noted, “Protest Lotte, and it’s Lotte’s [Chinese] partners that are hurt and Lotte’s Chinese employees who suffer.”

In his comments, Wu compared the current Chinese government with the Qing Dynasty, which joined forces in 1899 with the violent Boxer Rebellion movement to drive out foreign forces through indiscriminate attacks against foreigners.

Another Twitter user derided North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with the term “san pang,” or “third fat guy.”

“Which is a bigger threat, THAAD in South Korea or the third fat guy’s nukes?” the user wrote, commenting that China was failing to respond property to the North Korean nuclear threat amid its anger over the THAAD deployment.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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