Seoul considers a possibility to send a case of Chinese unfair retaliation measures regarding South Korean businesses to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for arbitration, Yonhap reported Tuesday, citing an official.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korean authorities accuse Beijing of blocking access of Korean entertainers to Chinese market, as well as of imposing harsh import standards, compared to other countries. China's actions are believed to be triggered by Seoul-Washington joint decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea's Seongju County for countering possible North Korea's threats before the end of 2017.
"As we may happen to need to take legal action in the future, a working-level examination is under way on (the illegality of) all measures taken by the Chinese central and regional governments as well as the private sector following the Seoul deployment decision," the official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korean authorities accuse Beijing of blocking access of Korean entertainers to Chinese market, as well as of imposing harsh import standards, compared to other countries. China's actions are believed to be triggered by Seoul-Washington joint decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea's Seongju County for countering possible North Korea's threats before the end of 2017.
"As we may happen to need to take legal action in the future, a working-level examination is under way on (the illegality of) all measures taken by the Chinese central and regional governments as well as the private sector following the Seoul deployment decision," the official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.
The official added it was "not an easy process to say exactly what WTO rules are in breach."
THAAD anti-missile systems, which South Korea agreed in 2016 to be deployed on its territory by the end of 2017, with the stated aim of countering threats from North Korea, serve as one of the main irritants in Beijing-Seoul ties.
China and Russia have repeatedly showed their objection to the deployment of THAAD, arguing that their real aim was to deter the strategic weapon systems not only in the Korean peninsula’s North, but primarily in China's hinterlands and Russia's Far East regions.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.