Beijing: US missile system in South Korea will trigger arms race

Beijing says the deployment of a US missile defense system on the Korean peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program would threaten China’s strategic interests. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was concerned about the possible deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System) system saying it “covers a range that is far beyond the needs of defense of the Korean peninsula”. Beijing argues that the THAAD deployment would trigger an arms race in the region. The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their final flight phase. The interceptor missiles carry no warheads, instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets. The US has long called for Beijing to use its role as Pyongyang’s most important ally to pressure the country into changing its behavior.

Read more on the deployment of THAAD to South Korea.