PRESS RELEASE
Global Times Warns of Consequences of U.S.-R.O.K. THAAD Deployment
July 10, 2016 (EIRNS)—In a strongly worded editorial today, China’s Global Times warns about the consequences of the U.S. and South Korean decision to place THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense) missile systems on R.O.K. territory.
The editorial explicitly spelled out a range of countermeasures that China could take, in response:
“Apart from monitoring missiles from North Korea, THAAD could expand South Korea’s surveillance range to China and Russia and pose serious threat to the two countries.
“Though South Korea claims it can reduce the surveillance range, the country cannot make the call as the system will be controlled by U.S. forces in South Korea, and such cheap promises mean nothing in international politics.
“We recommend China to take the following countermeasures. China should cut off economic ties with companies involved with the system and ban their products from entering the Chinese market.
“It could also implement sanctions on politicians who advocated the deployment, ban their entry into China as well as their family business.
“In addition, the Chinese military could come up with a solution that minimizes the threat posed by the system, such as technical disturbances and targeting missiles toward the THAAD system.
“Meanwhile, China should also re-evaluate the long-term impact in Northeast Asia of the sanctions on North Korea, concerning the link between the sanctions and the imbalance after the THAAD system is deployed.
“China can also consider the possibility of joint actions with Russia with countermeasures.”
The editorial statement, a semi-official voice of the Chinese government addressed to an international audience, took note of the larger context of the U.S.-R.O.K. action and the impact it will have on regional security as a whole:
“The biggest problem of the peninsula’s messy situation lies in U.S.’ Cold-War strategy in Northeast Asia, and its mind-set of balancing China in the region. Neither Pyongyang nor Seoul could make their own decisions independently, as the region’s stability and development are highly related to China and the U.S..”
The editorial ended by noting that China must face that fact that it is “ going through growing pains” and at the same time is “caught in the middle” of larger forces acting in the region, but must remain true to its own interests and act accordingly.
