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.
24 February 2017 From the section Science & Environment Share Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption Millions of people across Africa depend on hand pumps for their water supplies The simple up-and-down motion of hand pumps could help scientists secure a key water source for 200 million people in Africa. Growing demand for groundwater is putting pressure on the resource while researchers struggle to accurately estimate the future supply. But a team from Oxford University says that low-cost mobile sensors attached to pumps could solve the problem. Their study shows that pump vibrations record the true depth of well water. While fresh water from Africa's rivers and lakes is hugely important for people, it is dwarfed by the amount of groundwater available, estimated to be 100 times greater than the annual renewable fresh resource. Groundwater lies in aquifers under the surface of the earth and is often extracted from wells by pumps...
6 hours ago From the section Europe Share Image copyright HAZTE OIR Image caption Catholic group Hazte Oir claims its bus is just stating biological facts A judge has backed Madrid's decision to force a bright orange bus emblazoned with an anti-transgender message off its roads. Jose Juan Escalonilla said the bus could not move until the slogans, including "if you are born a man, you are a man", were removed. The bus belongs to Catholic group, Hazte Oir, which had planned to take it on a nationwide tour of Spanish cities. The public prosecutor is investigating whether it is a possible hate crime. Other messages on the side of the bus state "boys have penises, girls have vulvas. Do not be fooled" and "if you are a woman, you will continue to be one". Mr Escalonilla did not find the bus went as far as being a hate crime. However, he said he believed the bus was an "act of contempt" meant to "injure...
43 minutes ago From the section Europe Share Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Hollande's speech was briefly interrupted by the gunshot A French police sniper has accidentally shot and injured two people during a speech by President Francois Hollande in western France. The shot was fired as the officer moved position on a roof about 100m (328ft) from a tent where Mr Hollande was speaking in the town of Villognon. The bullet went through the canvas of the tent, where drinks were being made. It passed through a waiter's thigh and lodged in another person's calf. The injuries were not life-threatening. Mr Hollande was inaugurating a new stretch of railway when a loud noise like a gunshot was heard. He interrupted his speech for a few moments, but reports said there was no panic. "I hope it's nothing serious. I think not," Mr Hollande said as he paused his address to ask whether anyone had been hurt. The president later visi...
Comments
Post a Comment