South Korea on Sunday rejected China’s criticism over the planned deployment in the South of a US anti-missile system, saying Beijing’s failure to curb its ally North Korea had created the situation.
Seoul’s decision to deploy the powerful US system, to counter a growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, threatens to damage relations with its largest trading partner Beijing.
China has condemned the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system as a move against its own national security interests and said it would further heighten regional tension. The People’s Daily even warned Seoul on Thursday of the potentially costly “domino effect”, saying the South would “inevitably be the first target” in any conflict between China and the US.
The South’s presidential office however urged China to work harder to tame its neighbour North Korea, saying THAAD would have been unnecessary had there been no threat from it.