China openly opposes THAAD
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo, left, meets with China’s Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 15th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue, or IISS, Asia Security Summit in Singapore, Saturday. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
China repeated its opposition to the possible deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on the Korean Peninsula, Sunday, claiming that it would destabilize the Asia-Pacific region.
“China is opposed to the ongoing U.S. moves to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea,” said Adm. Sun Jianguo, China’s deputy chief of general staff, at a session of the Asia Security Summit, known also as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore. “This will erode the security of the region.”
The summit, which kicked off Friday for a three-day run, is an annual gathering of defense officials in the Asia-Pacific region.
“As a soldier myself, I am well aware of the meaning of the deployment,” the admiral said in his capacity as China’s top representative to the annual security forum. “Deploying THAAD on the Korean Peninsula is an excessive measure that by far exceeds current U.S. defense capabilities.”
A day earlier, Sun also expressed his country’s opposition to the deployment of the missile defense system on the peninsula during a bilateral meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on the sidelines of the summit. He said it would infringe on China’s strategic interests, exposing the deepening bilateral row over the issue once again.
In response, Minister Han said, “China is overestimating THAAD. The discussion on deployment originated in a move to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.”
Han stressed that THAAD would only be aimed at these.
In a speech during a plenary session, Saturday, Han made Seoul’s stance clear, saying the country “undoubtedly has the will to allow THAAD deployment.”
On Feb. 7, hours after North Korea launched a long-range rocket in violation of U.N. resolutions, Seoul and Washington announced their decision to officially discuss deploying THAAD here to better deter nuclear and missile threats from the Kim Jong-un regime.
The allies began working-level talks, March 4, to iron out details of deployment such as a possible location.
Since then, China, South Korea’s No. 1 export market, has continued to express its opposition, apparently out of concern that the THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 radar system could snoop on its military activities and missile capabilities.
On Feb. 23, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong told Kim Jong-in, the interim leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea: “If this issue damages China’s national interest, bilateral relations between South Korea and China will be damaged too, and they will be difficult to quickly recover.”
Meanwhile, Minister Han, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani reaffirmed their commitment to work together to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats, during a trilateral meeting, Saturday.
In a separate meeting with Han, Nakatani proposed forging a military intelligence sharing pact, but Han shrugged that off by saying that paving the way to lay the foundation for the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) first is more important, a comment reflecting of lingering unfavorable sentiment in Seoul over forging the sensitive military deals with its former colonial ruler.
On the last day of the summit, Han held bilateral meetings with the Swiss and French defense ministers and talked about ways of improving cooperation.