China opposes the new deployment of additional US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense systems in South Korea and calls for the removal of the existing systems from the Korean Peninsula, Geng Shuang, the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Saturday,
BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Friday, North Korea conducted apparently the second ICBM test in less than a month. In response to the move, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that additional THAAD missile interceptor launchers would be deployed at a US military base in South Korea.
"The Chinese side strongly opposes deployment of the US THAAD missile defense systems in South Korea… Beijing insists that South Korea and the United States should take into consideration the interests of the Chinese side, end the deployment process and remove the corresponding systems," Geng said in a statement published on the ministry's website.
The diplomat added that Beijing is concerned about the activities of Seoul.
"The deployment of THAAD could not remove the concerns of South Korea in the security issues, it would not settle the problem of the Korean Peninsula, but it would make the situation more complicated," the spokesman added.
In July 2016, the United States and South Korea announced their intention to deploy a THAAD system 300 kilometers (some 185 miles) away from Seoul as a deterrence measure against a possible missile attack from North Korea.
THAAD is designed for high-altitude extra-atmospheric interception of short and medium-range missiles and can, if needed, be used against North Korean ballistic missiles.
Moscow and Beijing have repeatedly voiced concern over the THAAD deployment in South Korea.
According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, the range of THAAD does not exceed 200 kilometers (around 120 miles). The US-South Korea agreement stipulates that Seoul provides a total of 690,000 square meters (170.5 acres) of land for the system in two stages, while Washington pays for the installation and maintenance of it.
