Beijing: US THAAD missile system may be meant for China

Beijing has called on Washington not to deploy its sophisticated THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile system to the Korean Peninsula, saying it could also be used to target China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Reuters in an interview in Munich on Friday that his country has urged the United States to refrain from the deployment to South Korea.

"The facts are clear. The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defense need of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent.

"This directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries," Wang Yi said.

The US Department of Defense said on February 8 that it is planning to deploy the advanced missile system “as quickly as possible” to counter what was described as the growing threat of the weapons capabilities of North Korea.

The Chinese foreign minister said Washington has hidden purposes for the missile system.

ME