US missiles in South Korea ‘will hurt Seoul’s Beijing ties’

China’s ambassador to South Korea warned Tuesday that the planned deployment of a US missile defence system in the country could damage Beijing-Seoul ties, possibly irreparably.

Once damaged, it would be “hard” to normalise relations between the two former Cold War enemies, ambassador Qiu Guohong said, according to a spokesperson for South Korea’s main Opposition Minju party.

Mr Qiu made the remarks when he met Minju party head Kim Jong-In at Parliament. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said the Minju party’s briefing on the meeting to journalists was accurate.

“It has taken much effort to develop China-South Korea ties to this degree. But these efforts could be destroyed in an instant because of one issue,” Mr Qiu said in reference to the planned deployment of the advanced US missile defence system in South Korea.

China has repeatedly protested since Washington and Seoul announced plans to instal the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system in the South, in response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch.

But Tuesday was the first time that a Chinese diplomat or official has made such a warning.