South Korea’s Moon Jae-in will meet with China’s Xi Jinping over U.S. missile-defence system

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of – South Korea says its president will hold summit talks next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to improve ties strained over the deployment of a U.S. missile-defence system.

Senior presidential official Nam Gwan-pyo told a televised briefing Tuesday that President Moon Jae-in and Xi will talk on the sidelines of an annual regional forum in Vietnam next week.

READ MORE: U.S. promises ‘ironclad’ commitment to South Korea with show of force against North

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Lee says the agreement is part of efforts by the two countries to put bilateral ties on a normal track.

WATCH: U.S. looking to pressure North Korea alongside Russia, China, and Japan

0:53 U.S. looking to pressure North Korea alongside Russia, China, and Japan

In response to the missile-defence system’s deployment, China has issued angry rhetoric and South Korean businesses operating in China have suffered economic retaliation.

China believes the system poses a threat to its own security. Seoul and Washington say it is purely aimed at defending South Korea against North Korean threats.