China expels South Korean missionaries amid missile defence tensions
Beijing believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system of the US military
A church under construction in Wenzhou. China’s Communist party says it protects freedom of religion. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuter.Shares
Saturday 11 February 201705.43 GMT
China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries, a Seoul official has said, amid diplomatic tension between the two countries over the planned deployment of a US missile defence system.
The 32 were based in China’s northeastern Yanji region near the border with North Korea, many of whom had worked there more than a decade, South Korean media has reported.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Friday it briefed Christian groups on the case of the missionaries, adding that they were expelled in January.
The ministry advised the groups on the importance of complying with the laws and customs of the areas where they work, it said.
But there was no indication of a direct link between the expulsions and tension over Thaad, said the South Korean government official, who requested anonymity. “There was no official explanation from China,” he said. “There is no confirmation that it is related to Thaad.”
The number of Korean missionaries working in China might top 1,000, South Korean media say. Most are in the northeast, and many help defectors flee North Korea and travel to third countries, including the South.
Thaad’s radar is capable of penetrating Chinese territory. Beijing has objected to the planned deployment, saying it will destabilise the regional balance of security, threaten China’s security and do nothing to ease tension on the Korean peninsula.
Many South Koreans believe Beijing is retaliating against Thaad, with measures against some companies and cancellations of performances by Korean artists. On Wednesday, South Korea’s Lotte Group said Chinese authorities had halted construction at a multi-billion dollar real estate project after a fire inspection.
China piles pressure on North Korea by banning coal imports 18 February 2017 From the section China Share Image copyright GETTY IMAGES China is suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of efforts to increase pressure on the country over its latest missile test. China's commerce ministry said the ban would operate until the end of 2017. It follows reports last week that China had rejected a shipment of North Korean coal worth $1m (£806,000; €942,100). The ban brings China, North Korea's only ally, closer to fully implementing tough sanctions aimed at stopping Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. Coal is North Korea's biggest export, with its shipments to China a mainstay of the country's fragile economy. The latest development comes just days after the suspicious killing of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, Kim Jong-nam, at an airport in Malaysia. Kim, who was largely estranged from his...
15 minutes ago From the section Asia Share Image copyright EPA Image caption Siti Aisyah "met some people who looked Japanese or Korean", Indonesian officials said An Indonesian woman arrested for the murder of the half-brother of North Korea's leader has said she was given 400 Malaysian ringgits ($90; £72) to carry out a prank. Indonesian embassy officials met Siti Aisyah, 25, on Saturday in the Malaysian capital. She said she was given the cash to smear Kim Jong-nam's face with "baby oil" as part of a reality show joke. Tests show Mr Kim was killed with the highly toxic nerve agent VX. It is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations. Unravelling the mystery of Kim Jong-nam's death Mr Kim died last week after two women accosted him briefly in a check-in hall at Kuala Lumpur international airport. Malaysian police have said that a sweep of the airport for toxic chemicals by a forensic team, the ...
A powerful cyclone carrying winds of up to 263km/h (163 mph) has made landfall in Queensland, Australia. Cyclone Debbie, a category four storm, has left at least 45,000 homes without power and damaged buildings, although it is too early to say how many. PM Malcolm Turnbull told parliament he had activated a disaster response plan. More than 25,000 people were urged to evacuate their homes ahead of predictions the cyclone would be Queensland's most damaging since 2011 . The system is expected to remain for several hours after crossing the coast between Bowen and Airlie Beach. In pictures: Debbie makes landfall "We are in for a long, tough day," said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "The intensity and ferocity of the winds is going to be gradually increasing. Everyone is bunkered down." Image copyright EPA Image caption Cyclone Debbie could be the most powerful storm to hit the area since Cyclone Yasi in 2011 Electricit...
Comments
Post a Comment