In response to the USA’s deployment of the THAAD missile defense system, China is running drills and preparing to protect its national security.
Beijing is “resolutely opposed” to the deployment of the missile system and will continue running live fire drills and testing new weaponry.
“The deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea damages the regional strategic balance and stability. The Chinese side is resolutely opposed to this,” Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told reporters on Thursday, when asked about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
“China’s military will continue to carry out live-fire military exercises and test new military equipment in order to firmly safeguard national security and regional peace and stability,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
Beijing has long spoken out against the deployment of the THAAD missile system because of fears that it undermines their deterrence capabilities.
A March editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper said Washington should “pay the price” for the deployment of the system, which it said was “on China’s front door.”
However, the USA states that the system is for purely defensive purposes, against any potential attacks from Pyongyang. US Admiral Harry Harris told Congress on Wednesday that it “poses no threat to China.”