Return of remains by ROK may help ties

The return of the remains of Chinese soldiers from the Republic of Korea, as scheduled, displays a willingness by both countries to push forward ties amid difficulties caused by the planned deployment of a US anti-missile system in the ROK, Chinese observers said.

Defense Ministry officials from China and the ROK will meet on Wednesday and discuss the return, by the end of March, of the remains of more than 20 Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who died in the Korean War, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The handover, the report said, may help to smooth a currently tense China-ROK relationship due to the United States and ROK's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the ROK by the end of the year.