The U.S. and China are engaged in a battle for power over the placement of the USFK's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles on the Korean Peninsula. In the past, the South Korean government stressed that the placement of the missiles was a decision by a sovereign state to defend the lives of the people and national security from North Korean nuclear and missiles threats. However, that the leaders of the U.S. and China are discussing the placement of the THAAD system in South Korean territory shows that this issue has nothing to do with South Korea's "sovereign" policy.

The United States has continued to justify the placement of the THAAD missiles since two missile launchers arrived in South Korea on March 6. On March 13, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer mentioned the U.S.-China summit, scheduled for next month, and said that the purpose of the summit was to ease tensions with North Korea surrounding the recent placement of the THAAD launchers in South Korea and clearly stated that the THAAD was a key agenda.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, currently touring South Korea, China and Japan also demanded that China step up to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, which has led some experts to argue that the U.S. will use the placement of the THAAD system as a card to pressure China.

On March 17, Tillerson will meet with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Seoul and discuss the two countries' strategy against China along with bilateral issues including the placement of the THAAD missiles before he heads to China.

Shortly after South Korea decided to place the THAAD missiles on the Korean Peninsula, China began stressing that the U.S. was a key party concerning this issue. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi quoted the ancient story of how Xiang Zhuang performed a sword dance with the purpose of taking the life of Liu Bang (a story referring to words or acts with a hidden motive), suggesting that the U.S. was using South Korea in placing the THAAD missiles to keep China in check.

Thus, experts believe that the placement of the THAAD missiles will be affected significantly by the outcome of the U.S.-China ministerial talks and summit. South Korea is rushing to finish placing the missiles before the May 9 presidential election, but the placement of the missiles as well as its timing can be determined by the U.S. and China.

One government source familiar with foreign affairs and security said, "The discussions between the U.S. and China on the placement of the THAAD system may create a breakthrough, but regardless of what the outcome, it will not be in the best interest of South Korea since the Korean Peninsula issue will end up as a part of the strategic competition between the U.S. and China." If South Korea and the U.S. push ahead with the placement of the THAAD missiles as scheduled, China will take stronger retaliatory measures against South Korea and this can strengthen China's relationship with North Korea. If plans concerning the placement of the missiles are postponed or adjusted, the U.S. and China would practically determine the "sovereign" policy of South Korea.

One security expert in a private institute said, "The placement of the THAAD system was not something that South Korea should have rushed. It was a strategic card that the country should have utilized by keeping it in its hand." He criticized, "Pushing ahead with the placement of the THAAD missiles, which have no practical benefit to the security of the nation, by disguising it as a sovereign state policy, South Korea has voluntarily stepped into the center of a strategic battle between the U.S. and China."