China’s defense ministry has called for a “prudent” decision on the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea, despite Seoul’s retort that Beijing should not meddle in South Korea’s security policy.
The U.S. has said it was considering deploying the missile defense system, known as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, in South Korea, home to about 28,500 American troops, to better cope with the growing threats of North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
But, China has publicly pressed South Korea to refuse to allow the American missile defense system to be deployed, claiming that the THAAD battery could also target China if deployed in South Korea.
In a rare public rebuttal against China’s concern over the possible deployment on March 17, South Korea’s defense ministry blamed China for trying to “influence” Seoul’s security policy.
During a monthly press briefing on Thursday, China’s defense ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng again expressed concern over the matter.
“Our stance on the deployment of the missile defense system in the Asia-Pacific region is clear and consistent. And we think that to deploy the missile defense system by some countries in the Asia-Pacific region is neither conducive to the strategic stability and mutual trust, nor to regional peace and stability,” Geng said, according to a transcript of the press briefing posted on the Chinese ministry’s website on Friday.
“And we hope the relevant countries can be prudent in taking actions,” Geng was quoted as saying.
China’s concerns over the possible deployment of the THAAD battery in South Korea have illustrated how difficult it is for South Korea and China to develop common security interests in Northeast Asia, despite their booming economic relations.
South Korea and the U.S. have called for China, the economic lifeline of North Korea, to do more in reining in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, but China’s stance over its ideological ally, Pyongyang, has often been self-contradictory.
Many analysts believe that China’s Communist Party leadership won’t put enough pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions because a sudden collapse of the North’s regime could threaten China’s own security interests. (Yonhap)
