On July 8, 2016, the United States and South Korea announced that they had reached an agreement to deploy the advanced missile defense system "Sade" in South Korea, which is expected to be put into use at the end of next year.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China: "Strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition!"
In this regard, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement today, expressing strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the announcement by the United States that it will deploy the "Sade" anti-missile system in South Korea.
The deployment of the "Sade" anti-missile system by the United States and South Korea will not help to achieve the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, and will not be conducive to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula. It runs counter to the efforts of all parties to solve the problem through dialogue and consultation, and will seriously damage the strategic security interests and regional strategic balance of countries in the region, including China.
China strongly urges the United States and South China to stop the deployment process of the "Sade" anti-missile system, not to take actions that complicate the regional situation, and not to do anything that harms South’s strategic security interests.
Russian Foreign Ministry: "This move makes us very worried."
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on July 8 that it was "very worried" about this move. The Russian Foreign Ministry also said: "In this way, the United States will continue to increase the potential of the Asia-Pacific region of the global anti-missile system while supporting its allies, which will undermine the strategic balance that has been formed in the Asia-Pacific region and other regions."
The two countries also indicated that the deployment location of the "Sade" system is expected to be released in mid-July at the earliest. At present, candidate locations include Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wonju, South gangwon, Yincheng, Chungcheongbuk Province and Qigu, Gyeongsangbuk Province in South Korea. It is expected that the "Sade" system will be deployed in central South Korea or Gyeonggi area.
What exactly is the "Sade" system? How does it work? Let’s take a look at — —
What is the power of "Sade", which will attract many concerns?
Concerned about the deployment of the "Sade" missile system by the United States in South Korea, relevant countries including China are not only worried that it can intercept several missiles, but more importantly, once the United States and South Korea deploy the "Sade" missile system in South Korea,It is equivalent to installing "peeping" eyes and "eavesdropping" ears at your doorstep — —
Thus, although the United States and South Korea say that this move is not aimed at any third country, "Si Mazhao’s heart is well known"! The intention of the United States and South Korea is now not only to deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats — —
The deployment of the "Sade" system is not a defense but an attack.
The X-band radar used in the "Sade" system has a detection radius of over 1,200 kilometers. If deployed in South Korea, the range of this radar will go deep into the hinterland of the Asian continent, posing a threat to neighboring countries including China and Russia. From this perspective, the deployment of the "Sade" anti-missile system in South Korea is not only aimed at North Korea. As the saying goes, "Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance is intended to be repeatedly used." From the perspective of international relations, the deployment of the "Sade" system is by no means a defense, but an attack, or an attack with a very sharp spear.
The deployment of "Sade" damages the strategic balance of the region and is not conducive to the denuclearization of the peninsula.
Peace on the peninsula is inherently fragile. In the case of a serious lack of mutual trust, the deployment of the "Sade" system will undoubtedly make the regional situation more complicated and run counter to the efforts of all parties to solve problems through dialogue and consultation. Not only does it not help to achieve the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, it is not conducive to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, but it will also seriously damage the strategic security interests and regional strategic balance of countries in the region, including China. In this case, other countries in the region will naturally express strong dissatisfaction and will take effective countermeasures.
Source/Special Support of the People’s Liberation Army Daily/Teng Jianqun
Producer/Editor-in-Chief Tang Yi/Li Zhe
Editor/Wang Shuo Wen Ya yaoyao