Wary of South Korea-based THAAD, Beijing and Moscow discuss "countermeasures"
The two countries held joint anti-missile drill in May last year, plan another one this year.
Beijing (AsiaNews) - China and Russia have agreed to take further unspecified "countermeasures" in response to a US plan to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor in South Korea, Xinhua reported on Friday.
The countermeasures "will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region", China’s state news agency said, citing a statement released after a China-Russia security meeting.
China and Russia held a joint anti-missile drill last May after the United States and South Korea began discussions over installing the US$ 800 million THAAD system to counter North Korean threats.
China and Russia said in October they would hold a second drill this year.
THAAD has unsettled Moscow and Beijing, which worry that the system's powerful radar will compromise their security and do nothing to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula.
"China and Russia urged the United States and South Korea to address their security concerns and stop the deployment of THAAD on the Korean Peninsula," Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.
Beijing fears that THAAD and its radar have a range that extends into China.
North Korea's drive to develop nuclear weapons capability has angered China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and economic supporter.
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