The top diplomats of South Korean and China agreed Tuesday not to allow THAAD missile defenses to become a “stumbling block” in bilateral ties, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry, after Seoul asserted its right to deploy interceptors against North Korean threats.

Tuesday’s five-hour meeting in Qingdao between South Korean foreign minister Park Jin and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi marks their second in-person talks, as well as the first visit by a high-level ROK official to China since Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration.