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A Study on THAAD through ≪环球时报≫(Global Times)

Kwon Eunyoung 1

1고려대학교 중국학연구소

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Global Times(環球時報) is The People's Daily-affiliated mess media organization, but it is the representative newspaper company that has more freedom from the control of Chinese government regarding various international relationships. It tries to view matters multilaterally rather than from simple relationship between two countries. In addition, it mostly represents China’s own interestpatriotically. In this manner, it seems to play a role as a mess media in suggesting China centered policy directions as possible by citing scholars’ opinions in the international policy. While THAAD was being discussed, Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, strongly opposed to it by saying ‘THAAD is the US’s sword dance towards China’. Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, also spoke out against THAAD at a summit meeting right before Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington DC. Therefore, the THAAD deployment became a very important international issue by China as well as one of agendas about strategic competition between the US and China. The issue might be a chance to consider the fundamental limit of the China– South Korea relations, which was overlooked. China is very close to North Korea and plays an important role in the South Korea- North Korea relations. China is the only country that can control North Korea, but it has strong relationship with North Korea, so it is a contradictory cooperator that can be opposed to us. The issue of THAAD has been discussed for years, and it can’t be denied that it is an important key word of the China–South Korea relations. China often seems to encourage anti-Korean sentiment through provocative headlines of Chinese Global Times, but the country understands that making strong relationship with South Korea is more important for the country’s interest. However, China focuses on maximizing its power in Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia through continuous pressure by emphasizing that South Korea is responsible for changes due to South Korea’s decision in the matters of the Korean Peninsula. We need to find solution that is more favorable to us while keeping China in countenance without conflict between the two countries. In addition, positive effects of the Moon Jae-in government’s policy towards China are currently expected, so the tone of Chinese Global Times about the South Korea-North Korea relations expected to be more positive.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.