China Steps Up Economic Retaliatory Measures Against South Korea Over THAAD Deployment
Militarily the Chinese have shown their displeasure with the THAAD deployment by flying bombers over South Korea’s Ieodo research station off the coast of Jeju while economically they are going after South Korean entertainment and companies operating in China:
China has stepped up efforts to hurt South Korea for its decision to allow the stationing of an advanced missile defense system on its soil with punitive measures to likely intensify going forward, experts predicted Wednesday.
The Seoul government, however, seems to have few countermeasures at its disposal, spawning concerns that it could face “costly” consequences if it fails to handle the situation in an effective manner, observers claimed.
On Tuesday, media reports showed that Chinese authorities have refused to approve imports of massive amounts of South Korean cosmetics as they are said to not meet their trade requirements. This was deemed the latest in a series of measures apparently aimed at punishing Seoul for its push to install a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery within this year.
In July, South Korea and the U.S. jointly announced a plan on the THAAD deployment, drawing strong opposition from China, which voiced concerns that the missile defense system equipped with the strong X-band radar could hurt its strategic security interest.
South Korea’s has countered that the THAAD deployment reflects critical national security interests to deal with evolving North Korean nuclear and missile capabilities.
Ever since the decision was announced, Beijing has taken thinly-veiled measures, mostly in business and cultural areas, aimed at pressuring Seoul to scrap its planned THAAD deployment.
Korea pop culture, known as hallyu, has been a major target with top Korean entertainers virtually banned from appearing on Chinese TV shows. More recently, the Chinese government rejected South Korean airlines’ plan to operate chartered flights to China ahead of the busy Chinese New Year holiday season.
“It has just begun,” said Kim Heung-kyu, political science professor at Ajou University. “On a scale of one to ten measuring China’s retaliation, the current level seems to be standing at only three. A full-blown retaliation that could have a real impact on South Korea has not started yet.” [Yonhap]
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And the US hasn’t done anything to help South Korea to soften this blow, leaving South Korea to hang out to dry. Instead there are warnings from the Trump administration that the US too will have a hardline attitude towards South Korea in both trade and military alliance issues. What this means is that China’s hardline attitude to South Korea is actually a very smart and calculated attempt to pry South Korea further away from the US, and into China’s sphere of influence. With a new regime change, don’t be surprised if South Korea pull a Duarte’s Philippine. Which way South Korea will go, will depend on how much Trump’s isolationist policies will go.
China can pry all it wants. Korea knows it’s a dangerous world out there and while you won’t find many who will say this publicly – NOTHING scares the senior leadership in the Korean military more than the thought of a breakdown of the ROK/US military alliance. The alliance has stood solid for over 60 years and the Koreans know that no one would ever step in and replace the role the US plays in defending Korea. Mark my words: the Koreans are going to bitch about it – but in the end they are going to increase their portion of the cost sharing – which will allow PEOTUS Trump to say he got the deal adjusted to his liking and it will essentially be a win-win.
Senior Korean military aren’t the ones deciding on the military policies. It will be the new nationalistic left wing government of South Korea whose parties are made up of members who really want the US out of Korea, who are also China and North Korea apologists. If Trump follows his threats of making South Korea a currency manipulator, dismantle FTA, putting economic pressure on South Korea and then on top of that, demanding South Korea to pay for all of USFK costs, those are all game changers. I believe the left shills will stoke the populace into Anti-American frenzy mode, like they have done to bring down Park’s government. These will give the left wing South Korean government play hardball and may let the US military to leave even.
@Tyson, South Korea already had a Duerte like character as President and that was Roh Moo-hyun. He did and said a lot of things that strained the US-ROK alliance, but when the Bush administration began to take hard measures in response like pulling 2nd Brigade out of 2ID, suddenly even he came around to understand the value of the US-ROK alliance.
I agree with Guitard that the next ROK President may complain and appear to put up a fight against paying more for domestic political reasons that could lead to protests, but at the end of the day they will pay more because the alliance is just too important to lose.
For starters – don’t count your chickens before they hatch on what the incoming government is going to look like — because there is still a HUGE older generation in Korea that is largely conservative. Ban Ki-Mun just got back to Korea a couple of days ago. It’s way too early to say how things will shake out for him to assume a pro-left candidate will win the next election.
And where do you get this, “Demanding South Korea to pay for all of USFK costs?” Trump said he wanted an increase – but has never said that the ROK has to pay all the costs.
I was upset because my neighbor wouldn’t help me by sharing the cost of the fence between our yards. But I was more put off by the idea of their yappy little dog coming over and leaving land mines near my BBQ grill. So I paid for the replacement myself.
Now I have a new neighbor and I wish I’d installed a gate, as the new folks have no dog and a better BBQ than me.
Completely unrelated to the main story. And yet it’s not.
Regardless of what happens to Park, Korea should reform its impeachment process or possibly adopt the American model. Right now it’s a convenient tool to be yielded by the angry mob in the country.
The impeachment vote should merely move the case to the courts, where the judges (the senate conducts a trial in America) ultimately decide the president’s fate. A simple majority vote in government should not strip the office from the president. That’s a recipe for mob rule, where the opposition only requires public sentiment or anger on their side to act.
It’s a simple concept – you’re innocent until proven guilty. Imagine the house voting to remove the president from power in a secret vote and have him wait months until the senate can reinstate him. Many presidents would toss and turn in their beds every night.