Chinese FM: THAAD deployment wrong choice for ROK

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi answers questions on China's foreign policy and foreign relations at a press conference for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Cui Xinyu]

The Chinese Foreign Minister has reviewed and outlined the country's diplomatic work during a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing parliamentary session.

CRI's Gao Junya heard what the minister had to say about the current situation in the region surrounding China and the country's relations with the United States.

Wang Yi's news conference was held just one day after two mobile launchers and part of the equipment necessary for the US anti-missile system, THAAD, arrived in South Korea.

Speaking to the media, the minister noted the deployment is the most pressing issue affecting China-ROK relations, and was obviously a "wrong choice" for South Korea.

"The deployment of the very controversial THAAD system by the U.S. and the ROK in the ROK is the biggest issue affecting China-ROK relations at the moment. China has expressed its strong opposition from the very beginning, for it's common knowledge that the monitoring and early warning radius of THAAD reaches far beyond the Korean Peninsula and obviously undermines China's strategic security. So, deploying THAAD is clearly a wrong option. It is not the way neighbors should behave to each other and it may very well render the ROK less secure. And we strongly advise some people in the ROK not to pursue this course of action, or else they will only end up hurting themselves as well as others."

The X-band radar of THAAD can cover a distance of as much as 2,000 kilometers.

Though the US and South Korea have repeatedly said it will be used to fend off North Korean missiles, the fact is that the system will scan a much larger area in China than the two Koreans put together from where it's installed in South Korea.

It has also sparked concerns that the deployment may give North Korea a more powerful justification for developing its own nuclear program or even flare up a military response.

Regarding the situation in the peninsula, Wang Yi proposed a "double suspension" to defuse the looming crisis and a "dual track" approach to establish a peace mechanism.

"To defuse the looming crisis on the Peninsula, China proposes that as a first step, the DPRK could suspend its nuclear and missile activities and the U.S.-ROK may halt their large-scale exercises. This 'double suspension' can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table. Then, we can follow the 'dual-track' approach of denuclearizing the Peninsula on the one hand, and establishing a peace mechanism on the other."

Using a railway metaphor, Wang Yi compared North Korea and the U.S.-ROK alliance to two accelerating trains that are likely to hit head on.

He said the priority is to flash the red light and apply the brakes" while China, as a next-door neighbor with an intimate relationship with the Peninsula, is willing to be a "railway switchman" to get the issue back to the right track.

Turning to the South China Sea, the minister noted China will never allow hard-won stability there to be disturbed or undermined again.

He said the Declaration on Conducts of the Parties in the South China Sea is being implemented in a full and effective way and that the consultation on the Code of Conduct, or COC, has seen new progress.

"Here I'd like to brief you on the latest news. At the end of February, the China-ASEAN Joint Working Group has made visible progress in consultation and produced the first draft of the COC framework. China and ASEAN countries are all happy about it. So at this moment, if someone wants to make waves and stir trouble, then he will have no support and meet the common opposition of the entire region."

When it comes to Sino-US relations, Wang Yi suggested the vast ocean will become a broad stage of cooperation if both sides change mindset.

Noting that it has been 38 years since China and the US established diplomatic relations, Wang cited an ancient Chinese saying to suggest the two sides could develop their ties in a more mature manner.

"We hope China and the United States can truly rise above the outdated concepts, broaden their visions, and move toward a more steady and mature relationship as it turns 40, so that we can put the minds of our two peoples and the rest of the world at ease."

Wang Yi said the two sides are communicating on future exchanges between their presidents and at other levels.