Chinese officials have once again spoke out against the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea and stressed that Beijing would take the ‘necessary’ steps to maintain a strategic power balance in the region.
Anti-war activists in Seoul hold a banner demonstrating against the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system (Photo: Getty Images / AFP / Jung Yeon-Je)
Strong objections to the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea have been once again voiced by Beijing, which has promised to take the ‘necessary’ steps to maintain a strategic balance of forces in the region.
Spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Geng Shuang, told reporters at a daily briefing that his country has already stated several times that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is not welcome in South Korea, and stressed that such a move would not help maintain peace in the region.
The THAAD deployment “will in no way help address the security concerns of relevant parties, realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability on the Peninsula,” Shuang said.
According to the spokesman, the deployment of the US weapons would “severely undermine” strategic security interests of China, as well as would tip the regional balance of power on the peninsula.
“China is firmly opposed and will take necessary measures to defend national security interests and regional strategic balance. We strongly urge the US and the ROK to spend more efforts on upholding peace and stability on the Peninsula, take seriously the legitimate concerns of China and other regional countries, and immediately stop the deployment process,” Shuang said.
The China’s statement came a day after the South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced that it has finally chosen a site for deployment of the American military hardware. On Friday, South Korea said that a golf course in the southeastern part of the country was selected as the ‘final’ site for THAAD.
“We have conducted a simulation-based evaluation on three alternative sites in Seongju. The test results showed the Lotte Skyhill Country Club is the most optimal site for THAAD,” the Yonhap news agency quoted the words of spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, Moon Sang-gyun.
Seoul is planning to complete the installation by 2017.
“The government is determined to finish the THAAD installation within the next year without fail to better protect the security of the country and life of its people from the evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” the ministry’s statement read.
Too bad south korea decided to let the us paint a target onto it if nato succeeds to provoke Russia and or China to war. North Korea could probably overrun the south while nato is engaged elsewhere anyway so it would be in south korea’s best interests to try to help avoid a ww3 situation.
I wish that China’s spokesman had elaborated on regional balance of power? What form would that take? Would China be willing to counter ROK and the US with improved capabilities for the North Koreans?