Russia and China united in opposition to THAAD on the Korean peninsula

Posted on : 2016-04-30 14:06 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Two countries agree that a push is needed to started Six Party Talks on North Korean nuclear issue
Russian Foreign Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands at a press conference after their meeting at the ministry in Beijing
Russian Foreign Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands at a press conference after their meeting at the ministry in Beijing

On Apr. 29, China and Russia's Foreign Ministers called for deliberations aimed at resuming the Six-Party Talks about North Korea's nuclear program while expressing their opposition to efforts by the US to deploy the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-ballistic missile system on the Korean Peninsula to counter North Korea's nuclear weapons.

“Relevant countries shouldn't use Pyongyang's acts as a pretext to increase their military presence on the Korean Peninsula. We believe the possible deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system won't resolve this problem," said Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a joint press conference that was held after a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

"This move [THAAD deployment] goes beyond the defensive needs of the relevant countries. If it is deployed it will directly impact China's and Russia's respective strategic security," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"In addition to threatening attempts to solve the issue of nuclear weapons on the peninsula, THAAD would add fuel to the fire of an already tense situation and even possibly wreck the regional strategic balance," Wang said.

"Considering the fact that we need to find a fundamental solution to the nuclear issue on the peninsula, we agreed that we must not abandon our efforts to reopen the Six-Party Talks and that we must keep working to create the necessary conditions," Wang said.

"We hope the six-party talks can be resumed as early as possible, as we have built-up experience in resolving the nuclear issue through negotiations in the past," Lavrov added.

In related news, reports indicated that the UN Security Council was going to respond to North Korea's launch of Musudan mid-range ballistic missiles on Apr. 28 by issuing a press statement on Apr. 29 condemning this launch.

"Today, the UN Security Council held unofficial deliberations and discussed ways to respond to North Korea's launch of the Musudan missiles," a source at the UN said on Apr. 28.

While the UN Security Council agreed in its meeting on Friday to adopt a press statement condemning North Korea's launch of Musudan missiles, the actual release of the statement is supposed to take place on Apr. 29, since the Chinese delegation asked for some time to consult with officials back home.

The UN Security Council also issued press statements after North Korea launched a Musudan missile on Apr. 15 and after it fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Apr. 23.

"After additional analysis, U.S. Strategic Command assesses that both launch attempts of presumed Musudan intermediate range ballistic missiles occurred from Wonsan. Initial indications reveal the tests were not successful," US Strategic Command said in a statement on Apr. 28. The statement also noted that Musudan missiles do not pose a threat to North America.

By Kim Oi-hyun and Yi Yong-in, Washington and Beijing correspondents

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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