THAAD: Deployment won’t ease tensions

penetrate deep into China and Russia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang urged Washington and Seoul on Wednesday to cancel the deployment, and he warned that “China will resolutely adopt the necessary measures to defend its interests”.

THAAD’s deployment has severely undermined China’s strategic security interests, he said.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said on Wednesday that the deployment won’t ease tensions or thwart dangers on the peninsula, but will undermine mutual trust among all parties.

Shi Yinhong, director of the Center of US Studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said from the beginning China has strongly opposed THAAD’s deployment, but Washington and Seoul did not consider Beijing’s concerns.

“China has always opposed military conflicts. But as the final choice, it retains the right to undertake all legal actions,” he said about the Defense Ministry’s remarks.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, director of the Center of China-US Defense Relations Studies of the PLA’s Academy of Military Science, said the deployment of the THAAD system has moved a step toward substantially shattering the strategic balance among major powers in Northeast Asia.

“China is forced to make new arrangements to regain balance in the region,” he said.