© REUTERS/ Kim Kyung-Hoon

Tourism Trade War: China Warns Citizens Against Travel to South Korea

Yonhap news agency reported that Washington described those measures as “unreasonable and inappropriate.””We are concerned and closely monitoring reports that China has taken actions against South Korean private sector entities for the US-ROK [Republic of Korea] decision to deploy THAAD in the ROK,” an unnamed representative of the State Department told Yonhap.

Concurrently, the source reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to the defense of its allies.

According to the report, this was the first time Washington has publicly condemned China’s retaliatory measures over the THAAD deployment.

Moreover, South Korean media is trying to capitalize on the tense situation. For example, a correspondent of Sputnik China reported that China did not ban tourist trips to South Korea, while South Korean media has reported that Beijing imposed tourist restrictions against Seoul.

© AP Photo/ Ahn Young-joon

THAAD Deployment ‘May Result in China, South Korea Ripping Up Diplomatic Relations’

A representative of a major Chinese travel agency told Sputnik that it does not recommend visiting South Korea over the THAAD issue. Meanwhile, representatives of other tourists companies have said that both individual and group tours are available for purchase.Tensions are now on the rise between Beijing and Seoul over China’s measures against South Korean companies, according to Konstantin Asmolov, an expert at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In an interview with Sputnik China, Asmolov shared thoughts on the possible developments of the situation: “An open confrontation is unlikely. It is also unclear whether official sanctions will be imposed. On the other hand, there is a hardline media campaign in China against South Korean-produced goods. So, the main target is economy.”

According to the expert, China’s hardline stance towards South Korea does not favor North Korea.

“Beijing does not support the South against the North and vice versa. China wants the two Koreas to take into account its national interests,” Asmolov added.

© Flickr/ Mark Holloway

THAAD Deployment: Why Seoul Risks Ruining Relations With Beijing

He also emphasized that the planned missile defenses will not cover any South Korean facilities. They are expected to protect only those facilities in which the US military is interested and thus South Korean authorities do not know what objects the radars will be targeted at.Konstantin Sivkov, a Russian military analyst and president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, told Sputnik China that in theory the Chinese military is capable of jamming American radars in South Korea.

“China is a developed country. It can create instruments to blind THAAD’s control system. They can do that. The only problem is that such jamming devices needs to be aircraft-based. But I think that Beijing could do that,” Sivkov said.

© AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man

China Blocks Access to S.Korean Streaming Services as Part of Anti-THAAD Policy

Wang Junsheng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said that despite the fact that an open military confrontation between China and South Korea is currently unlikely Beijing-Seoul ties have hit the historic bottom.”As far as the THAAD issue remains unresolved there will be a downward trend in bilateral ties. The deployment creates risks for regional strategic security, including for China. China has repeatedly protested the move but South Korea remains committed to its policy, ignoring national security interests. This problem is more serious any economic differences. It directly relates to China’s strategic security and strategic security of the entire North-East Asian region,” the expert pointed out.