US top diplomat in Seoul, keeps pressure on China

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demanded Friday that China end its “economic retaliation” against South Korea over the Seoul-Washington plan to operate a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile battery as early as next month.

Tillerson arrived in the South earlier in the day during his first official trip to Asia having travelled from Japan -- with China next on his itinerary.

Washington’s top diplomat landed on the peninsula at a time when Chinese tourists are staying away as part of an apparent series of moves to ensure Seoul realizes the consequences of deploying THAAD on South Korean soil.

Beijing has repeatedly expressed strong concerns about the American system because of its spying capacity.

“While we acknowledge Chinese opposition, its economic retaliation against South Korea is inappropriate and troubling,” Tillerson told reporters after meeting Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.

“We ask China to refrain from such action. Instead, we urge China to address the threat that makes that necessary,” he added, according to Yonhap News Agency.

His request for Beijing to focus on “the threat” from North Korea echoed earlier comments from Tillerson, who said “all options are on the table” in seeking a new way to deal with Pyongyang after two decades of failed attempts to halt the reclusive state’s rogue nuclear weapon ambitions.

Tillerson will have the opportunity to pass the message on directly when he flies to China Saturday.