[Editorial] Cold War mentality

Type “Xi Jinping” — the name of the Chinese president — and “Cold War mentality” into Google and you will get a long list of results.

Most prominently among them are results that mention how Xi said nations should abandon the Cold War mentality when he addressed the UN General Assembly about one year ago.

He made the same remark last week when he addressed a business forum at the G20 summit he was hosting in Hangzhou. He apparently had in mind his country’s biggest rival, the US, which it believes stands in the way of its hegemonic expansion in Asia-Pacific.

Whenever the Chinese leader mentions the Cold War mentality, however, it brings about backlash, as many hearing such words might be of the opinion that China is the country that has to free itself from the mindset of a bygone era of ideological confrontation and a battle for supremacy. 

What Xi said during the G20 summit and at other bilateral summits showed that China still adopts this mindset. One good example is the reiteration of his government’s position on the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and its stance toward a US missile defense system to be deployed in South Korea.

Regarding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, Xi, as expected, expressed opposition toward it in his summits with both US President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Xi had been expected to raise the issue in meetings with Obama and Park, but this did not mitigate concerns about the motives behind the Chinese government’s take on the US missile defense system.

It is certain that China — which had to confront the US over issues such as the South China Sea disputes — wants to use THAAD as leverage in its dealings with its rival. Indeed, Xi told Obama that the US should respect China’s “strategic interests.”

Xi also said in the meeting with Park that mishandling the THAAD issue is not conducive to “strategic stability” in the region and could intensify disputes.

This is self-contradictory. South Korea and the US are deploying the missile defense system because stability in the region — especially on the Korean Peninsula — is in great danger due to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.

As the rogue regime’s ideological comrade and largest economic benefactor, China could have exerted influence to curb the North’s provocations. It seems wrong for China to talk about the threat to regional stability for which it should be held accountable.

As Park said, the threat from the North’s nuclear bombs and missiles is a “matter of life and death” for South Korea. Moreover, Park made it clear that there will be no need to station the THAAD battery in South Korea when and if threats from the North’s weapons of mass destruction are removed.

Relations between South Korea and China, which peaked when Park participated in China’s World War II victory ceremony one year ago, turned suddenly chilly over the THAAD.

It was good Park and Xi agreed to hold a summit — the eighth one between them — to prevent a further chill in bilateral relations. It would be even better if the two leaders take follow-up measures to separate the issue from other aspects of bilateral ties.

What is most important is that China should play a more active role in pressuring the North to give up its nuclear and missile ambitions. Then it would not have to worry about an advanced US missile defense system under its nose.