China reaches out to new South Korean leader amid tensions with North Korea and the US
President Xi Jinping congratulates South Korea’s new president and calls for mutual understanding and trust
China is willing to appropriately handle disputes with South Korea on the basis of mutual understanding and trust, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a congratulatory message to new South Korean president, Moon Jae-in.
Xi said he had always greatly valued South Korea and relations between the two countries, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The report made no direct mention of North Korea or an anti-missile system the United States has deployed in South Korea that China has vigorously opposed on the grounds that it is a threat to Chinese security.
Moon’s election could add volatility to relations with Washington, given his questioning of the deployment of the system, called Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), but is not expected to significantly change the alliance, a US official said.
