South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in has called for a “new era” in relations with its giant neighbor China, during a visit aimed at repairing ties after months of antagonism over his country’s deployment of a US anti-missile system, the Financial Times reports. Mr Moon is leading a delegation of 300 executives on a four-day visit that many hoped would signal a thaw in diplomatic and business relations between the neighbors. The visit is also aimed at bringing Seoul and Beijing closer on the thorny question of North Korea, whose nuclear program has raised tensions across the peninsula.
“I believe that trust is most important not only in a relationship between persons but also between countries,” Mr Moon told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, when they met on Thursday. In a sign that the Thaad anti-missile system deployment continues to rankle Beijing, the two presidents decided before the visit not to issue a joint statement.