1. LINE

      Text:AAAPrint
      Politics

      Costly consequences of THAAD for Seoul

      1
      2016-08-04 09:35China Daily Editor: Xu Shanshan

      By deploying its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the Republic of Korea, the United States will harm regional peace and stability, and put Seoul in a precarious position. The crux of the Barack Obama administration's "pivot to Asia" strategy is to consolidate its military presence in the region and THAAD is an important part of that move.

      Apart from the ROK, the U.S. also hopes to deploy the missile system in Guam, Japan and the Philippines. But since deployment of THAAD in the ROK was considered the most difficult to achieve, the Obama administration sees Seoul's nod as a key step forward in its "pivot to Asia" strategy and wants to complete the process before ROK President Park Geun-hye's term in office is over.

      Donald Trump has said the ROK should be responsible for its own security, and this attitude of the Republican presidential nominee has been worrying Seoul. When the U.S. withdrew parts of its forces from the ROK between 1950s and 1970s, Seoul felt "unsafe". So now, given Trump's stance, the Park administration seems eager to secure U.S. protection by opening the door to the missile defence system. The deal could even include the introduction of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in the ROK arsenal in the future.

      This should make clear why the U.S. said it would bear all the expenses for the first THAAD in the ROK, and allowed the ROK military to test its radar electromagnetic wave radiation at its base in Guam on July 18.

      In the mid-term ROK election on April 13, the ruling Saenuri Party became a minority. So it used THAAD to divert people's attention from the stagnant economy to national security, especially because the popular view in the ROK is that the U.S. is a more reliable economic engine than China. THAAD can reassure ROK people of the U.S.' support and protection even though the ROK leaders know it will invite threats, instead of safeguarding national security.

      Responding to the opposition parties' criticism of THAAD, the Saenuri Party tried to stifle dissenting voices by saying opposing the missile system was equivalent to opposing national security protection. In other words, ROK leaders are keeping the people in the dark to ensure the deployment of THAAD.

      During his meeting with ROK Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on June 29, President Xi Jinping emphasized China's stance and concern over THAAD's deployment in the ROK. To cushion Beijing's reaction, Seoul said the missile defence system will be deployed in southeast ROK, the farthest point from China, and its detection range will be shortened from 2,000 kilometers to 600-800 km. This is hogwash, for even if the first THAAD's range were only 200 km, it can be easily upgraded and more such systems are likely to be deployed in the ROK.

      Seoul's calculations about the deal are wrong, and it has jeopardized its neighbors' security in exchange for the protection of a faraway ally. It is an irony that the ROK considers itself an independent medium-level world power but still looks to other countries for protection.

      THAAD will stoke an arms race on the Korean Peninsula, which is against the peaceful reunification goal of the ROK government. China and Russia will not sit idle while the U.S. continues to play its strategic games, and the ROK will become a target in any conflict that ensues. Worse, THAAD will weaken Sino-U.S. mutual trust and harm Sino-ROK economic and trade ties.

      The situation the THAAD game will lead to will be too costly for the ROK.

      By Wang Junsheng

      The author is a researcher in Asia-Pacific strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

        

      Related news

      MorePhoto

      Most popular in 24h

      MoreTop news

      MoreVideo

      News
      Politics
      Business
      Society
      Culture
      Military
      Sci-tech
      Entertainment
      Sports
      Odd
      Features
      Biz
      Economy
      Travel
      Travel News
      Travel Types
      Events
      Food
      Hotel
      Bar & Club
      Architecture
      Gallery
      Photo
      CNS Photo
      Video
      Video
      Learning Chinese
      Learn About China
      Social Chinese
      Business Chinese
      Buzz Words
      Bilingual
      Resources
      ECNS Wire
      Special Coverage
      Infographics
      Voices
      LINE
      Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
      Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
      主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲精品成a人在线观看| 精品熟女少妇a∨免费久久| 日本a级片免费看| 亚洲Av无码国产一区二区 | 亚洲精品天堂成人片AV在线播放| 91香焦国产线观看看免费| 亚洲黄色在线播放| 国产大片91精品免费观看不卡| 久久精品国产亚洲AV无码偷窥| 久久国产精品免费视频| 亚洲嫩模在线观看| 无码av免费毛片一区二区| 亚洲最大无码中文字幕| 情侣视频精品免费的国产 | 一级毛片免费观看不卡的| 7777久久亚洲中文字幕蜜桃| 69堂人成无码免费视频果冻传媒| 亚洲国产高清国产拍精品| 亚洲福利视频一区二区| 中文毛片无遮挡高清免费| 亚洲狠狠久久综合一区77777| 16女性下面无遮挡免费| 亚洲欧洲精品成人久久曰| 亚洲国产电影av在线网址| 国产免费阿v精品视频网址| 亚洲色欲www综合网| 精品国产免费观看久久久| igao激情在线视频免费| 久久亚洲精品成人无码网站| 日韩视频免费在线| 免费91麻豆精品国产自产在线观看| 亚洲无圣光一区二区| 免费看国产曰批40分钟| 久久青青草原国产精品免费| 中文有码亚洲制服av片| 亚洲一本大道无码av天堂| 久热中文字幕在线精品免费| 无码毛片一区二区三区视频免费播放 | 久久国产精品一区免费下载| 亚洲熟女精品中文字幕| 国产偷国产偷亚洲清高动态图|