THAAD Missile Defense System Initially Capable In South Korea: Sources
Posted on 05/02/2017 10:29:11 AM PDT by blam
Original newz story - Click here
As we pointed out earlier today, Reuters cited US military officials who said that the U.S. military’s THAAD anti-missile defense system has “reached initial intercept capability” in South Korea, although they added that it would not be fully operational for some months. Just hours after the announcement, Beijing lashed out at DC and demanded an “immediate halt” to the controversial US missile shield. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang voiced the government’s position against the move during a briefing on Tuesday.
“We oppose the deployment of the US missile system to South Korea and call on all parties to immediately stop this process. We are ready to take necessary measures to protect our interests,” he said according to AFP, adding that “China’s position on the THAAD issue has not changed.”
As Reuters noted earlier, the spokesperson didn’t specify what “necessary measures” China had in mind. However, responding to the THAAD installation, last week China announced on Thursday that it will stage live-fire exercises and test new weapons to protect its security.
Curiously, while on one hand Beijing lashed out at the shield’s deployment, on the other, the foreign ministry expressed support for US President Donald Trump’s surprise comments that he would be “honored” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.
Asked about Trump’s remarks, Geng said that China “has always believed that dialogue and consultation… is the only realistic and viable way to achieve denuclearisation.”
“We also said many times that the US and DPRK… should make political decisions at an early date, take action and show good faith so that we can create a better atmosphere for resuming the peace talks and settling the issue,” he added.
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(Excerpt) Read more at newzsentinel.com ...
Patriot to the rescue again. Meanwhile, China’s blustering may be for domestic and North Korean benefit. Hopefully Trump won’t cave on this like he has on other items recently.
My sense is the PRC Chinese cannot be trusted in any capacity.
All of their statements are as gas dispersed quickly into its surroundings. Nothing can be relied on to endure with them.
Despite what the President says, I believe he silently agrees with the above.
While I can see how the CHICOMS would view this deployment as a change to the balance of power in the region they must exert more pressure on the NORKS to cease nuclear development since that, too, upsets the balance of power in the region and serves no purpose other than to threaten S.Korea.
We no basically zero about some of these security issues. It’s possible that this whole N. Korea thing was manufactured so we could legitimize placing these anti-missile defenses there.
I know that. But it shows they are not interested in peace on that peninsula. They are interested in ruling over matters of policy in that peninsula. Thus, all of the niceties with PRC Xi is but fluff founded on nothing.
Methinks this all ends with China installing a puppet government in NK.
Kim has to go, and we don’t want war with China just to fill the power vacuum.
Possibly but puppet governments will not endure over generations. At some point there has to be a reunification of Korea, it’s long past due.
If the Chicoms want THAD gone then make the dog eating nut ball go away. It’s fairly simple. On the downside if THAD is also deployed in Japan and Japan goes nuclear the Chicoms have quit the mess on their hands of their own making. Support a mad man and lose your ICBM threat to Asia and North America and a mortal enemy gets nukes. Take out a mad man and all this goes away and the Korean peninsula finally quietens down after 60 yrs. Hmm, choices, choices comrades.
Yup
Yup
I’ve never understood the leftist opposition to defensive systems. I imagine they hate fire extinguishers, too.
In no way will China allow that to occur in favor of SK / USA.
And lastly,China.....remember,the fallout from a war involving North Korea,South Korea or Japan is only a stiff breeze from *your* borders and I think that you have enough pollution problems already.No need to add nuclear fallout to the mix.
“In no way will China allow that to occur in favor of SK / USA.”
You are probably right, but a NK that wasn’t a constant threat to SK, and removal of the DMZ and all the NK weaponry there would definitely be a positive step. Then it would be for the NK populace to finally figure out that they’ve been screwed by the Kims for almost a century and take “corrective” action. NK needs to have an East Germany “moment.” Say like a day or two shopping in Seoul.
“How long, China, do you think it would take prosperous, technologically advanced, countries like those to develop a nuke?”
it would take to send them the parts with a diagram of out they have to go together. OTOH, we could just “loan” them a “boomer.” Say just put one Japanese Navy officer on board one of ours. “Instant” nuclear capability.
This is like a neighbor whose pitbull has been terrorizing the neighborhood.
He gets warning from the new sheriff in town to either lock up the dog or he will be picked up by animal control.
The neighbor dares the sheriff to take action.
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