China, Russia to step up opposition to S Korean anti-missile system
China and Russia have agreed to intensify their coordinated opposition to the deployment of a U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
South Korea decided last year to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in response to the threat from North Korean missiles.
But China and Russia worry that the system's powerful radar can penetrate their territory and undermine their security, disrupting a balance of power in the region while doing nothing to lower tension on the Korean peninsula.
South Korean officials have said THAAD is a purely defensive measure against North Korean threats and does not target any other country.
"Both sides said they will continue to strengthen their coordinated opposition to THAAD", the two countries' deputy foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's said in a statement on its website.
China and Russia agreed in January to take unspecified "countermeasures" in response to THAAD. South Korea's defense ministry struck a deal this week with an affiliate of the Lotte Group conglomerate to acquire land southeast of the capital, Seoul, for the deployment of the missile system.
The deal sparked protests from China's state media, which called for a boycott of South Korean cars and telephones and for people to shun its entertainment exports. South Korean officials have said they expect the missile system to be deployed and operational this year.
North Korea's drive to develop nuclear weapons and missiles has angered China, the North's sole major diplomatic and economic supporter.
China has pushed for the resumption of six-party talks involving it, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United Sates, on North Korea's nuclear ambitions as a way to resolve differences. China has also called for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, South Korean and U.S. troops began large-scale joint military exercise yesterday conducted annually to test their defense readiness against the threat from North Korea, which routinely characterizes the drills as preparation for war against it.
The exercise, called Foal Eagle, comes amid heightened tension following the latest test launch of a ballistic missile by the North on Feb. 12 and in the past prompted threats by Pyongyang to launch military action in retaliation.
South Korea's Defense Ministry and the U.S. military based in the South confirmed the start of the drills on Wednesday that will continue until the end of April but did not immediately provide further details.
The exercise last year involved about 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo early on Wednesday by telephone and said the United States remains steadfast in its commitment to the defense of its ally.
South Korea has said it and the United States aim to make the system, which the two countries decided last year to deploy in response to the North Korean missile threat, operational by the end of the year.
Han said in the phone call with Mattis that this year's joint drills will be conducted at a similar scale as last year's, which the South's Defense Ministry had called the "largest-ever" exercises by the allies.
North Korea's official KCNA news agency said earlier on Wednesday its leader Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of a major military unit and issued guidance on increasing combat readiness.
South Korea decided last year to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in response to the threat from North Korean missiles.
But China and Russia worry that the system's powerful radar can penetrate their territory and undermine their security, disrupting a balance of power in the region while doing nothing to lower tension on the Korean peninsula.
South Korean officials have said THAAD is a purely defensive measure against North Korean threats and does not target any other country.
"Both sides said they will continue to strengthen their coordinated opposition to THAAD", the two countries' deputy foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's said in a statement on its website.
China and Russia agreed in January to take unspecified "countermeasures" in response to THAAD. South Korea's defense ministry struck a deal this week with an affiliate of the Lotte Group conglomerate to acquire land southeast of the capital, Seoul, for the deployment of the missile system.
The deal sparked protests from China's state media, which called for a boycott of South Korean cars and telephones and for people to shun its entertainment exports. South Korean officials have said they expect the missile system to be deployed and operational this year.
North Korea's drive to develop nuclear weapons and missiles has angered China, the North's sole major diplomatic and economic supporter.
China has pushed for the resumption of six-party talks involving it, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United Sates, on North Korea's nuclear ambitions as a way to resolve differences. China has also called for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, South Korean and U.S. troops began large-scale joint military exercise yesterday conducted annually to test their defense readiness against the threat from North Korea, which routinely characterizes the drills as preparation for war against it.
The exercise, called Foal Eagle, comes amid heightened tension following the latest test launch of a ballistic missile by the North on Feb. 12 and in the past prompted threats by Pyongyang to launch military action in retaliation.
South Korea's Defense Ministry and the U.S. military based in the South confirmed the start of the drills on Wednesday that will continue until the end of April but did not immediately provide further details.
The exercise last year involved about 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo early on Wednesday by telephone and said the United States remains steadfast in its commitment to the defense of its ally.
South Korea has said it and the United States aim to make the system, which the two countries decided last year to deploy in response to the North Korean missile threat, operational by the end of the year.
Han said in the phone call with Mattis that this year's joint drills will be conducted at a similar scale as last year's, which the South's Defense Ministry had called the "largest-ever" exercises by the allies.
North Korea's official KCNA news agency said earlier on Wednesday its leader Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of a major military unit and issued guidance on increasing combat readiness.