China has said it is "strongly dissatisfied" with U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in the Republic of Korea (ROK), warning that the move may destabilize the Korean Peninsula.
The ROK Defense Ministry announced earlier on Friday that the ROK and the United States have decided to deploy a U.S. THAAD anti-missile system.
"The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes to this," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The deployment is not conducive to achieving denuclearization in the Peninsula and maintaining its peace and stability, according to the ministry.
It said the move goes against efforts made in calming regional tensions through dialogue and negotiation, and severely harms the security interests of countries in the area including China, as well as the "strategic balance" in the region.
China urged the U.S. and ROK to terminate the deployment of THAAD, and "not to take actions which tend to complicate regional situation and harm China's strategic security interests." (Updated)
