Russia, China Slam US Plan to Station THAAD in S Korea

Local Editor

Russia and China voiced worries about the planned deployment of an advanced US missile system to the Korean Peninsula, saying that such a move poses a threat to security in the already tense region.

In a statement released on Friday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow and Beijing share a "mutual serious concern" over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense [THAAD] missile system in the South Korean territory.

Russia and China believe that such actions by the US and South Korea "can inflict serious damage on the strategic security of neighboring countries ... and will further complicate the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the statement added.

It further accused Washington of making "unilateral efforts to develop and deploy" missile systems in different regions across the world such as Northeastern Asia, warning that such activities have "a negative effect on the international and regional strategic balance."

Moscow and Beijing also raised the possibility of a closer bilateral coordination "in the wake of the latest unfavorable developments," calling for the swift resumption of intra-Korean dialogue as the only way to ease tensions in the region, according to the statement.

Separately, China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun also expressed his country's opposition to the THAAD deployment in neighboring South Korea, stressing that Beijing will consider necessary measures to safeguard the national and regional security.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team