"The deployment of the THAAD system by the U.S. goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. (Photo/Xinhua)
China diplomats warn over deployment of U.S. defense system in the ROK
Senior Chinese diplomats have warned against any actions that damage China's interests by using the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as an excuse.
The warning comes as the United States is being allowed by the Republic of Korea to deploy a powerful missile system that will technically cover China and Russia.
Hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched a rocket on Feb 7, the U.S. and ROK angered China and Russia by deciding to start talks on deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the U.S. military base in the ROK.
In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "safeguarding China's national security interests" was a key principle for tackling the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
China "resolutely objects to any attempt by any country to infringe China's lawful rights and interests in the name of the peninsula nuclear issue", Wang said on Friday, according to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry.
"The deployment of the THAAD system by the U.S. ... goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Wang said.
"It directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries."
When meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich on Friday, Wang said the U.S. must be cautious about undermining China's security interests or "adding new complications to regional peace and stability".
Fu Ying, the National People's Congress' foreign affairs chief, said on Saturday at the Munich conference that China is puzzled and angered by the U.S. actions, People Daily's website reported.
Fu added that the U.S. had told China to cooperate on the peninsula nuclear issue while Washington had been involved in discussions with its allies about deploying the THAAD system.
As one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, THAAD can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the Earth's atmosphere during their final phase of flight.
Early on Feb 2, Russia's Ambassador to the ROK Alexander Timonin opposed the possible deployment of the THAAD system.
Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher at the Center on China-America Defense Relations at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the THAAD system mainly targets long-range missiles and has nothing to do with intercepting short-range ones launched by the DPRK.
The U.S. system can launch and intercept missiles, which will sabotage strategic stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Such a deployment will damage "the already fragile strategic stability" of the U.S. with China and Russia, Zhao added.
Liang Fang, a professor of naval studies at the PLA National Defense University, said the foreign minister was sending a message that China was not letting the situation rest and "may resort to any available means".
Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse cited U.S. Forces Korea as saying in a media statement on Saturday that Washington had temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in the ROK.
