Seoul on Monday accused Beijing of infringing its air defence identification zone after China’s air force conducted a long-range exercise into the Sea of Japan.

Ben Ho, a senior analyst with the Military Studies Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, said that although Chinese warplanes passed through an area where China’s and South Korea’s air defence identification zones overlap, it was unlikely to have any negative impact on relations between the two countries.

“While the deployment may come as a surprise so soon after the Xi-Moon meeting, it should not significantly upset Sino-South Korean ties as the two nations have a greater common interest in countering the threat posed by Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programmes, as well as fostering already close economic relations,” he said.

He was referring to the recent meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and China’s President Xi Jinping during the former’s four-day visit to Beijing.