China concerned over US missiles in South Korea

Beijing has expressed concern over the possible deployment of an American missile system in South Korea, saying it could jeopardize China’s national security.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that his country remained committed to working with the US and other states to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula, adding that he hoped the UN would agree on a resolution criticizing North Korea for its January nuclear test.

Wang, however, said that China remained concerned that the X-band radar to be deployed with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system could jeopardize his country’s “legitimate national security interests" as it had a range that extended far beyond the Korean peninsula into the interior of China.

He said that the US needed to address the concerns raised by China about the system's capabilities.

"We believe that China's legitimate security concerns must be taken into account," Wang said. "An explanation must be provided to China."

Earlier this month, Washington and Seoul agreed to start talks about deploying the THAAD system to South Korea to counter what they described as the growing threat of North Korea's weapons capabilities.

On January 6, North Korea said it had successfully carried out its first underground test of a hydrogen bomb and pledged to continue developing its nuclear program as a means of “deterrence” against potential acts of aggression from the US.

The United States is scheduled to present a draft UN resolution on Thursday toughening sanctions on North Korea following Pyongyang's nuclear test.

North Korea is already under UN sanctions over launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads.

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