Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, Opposes Deployment of US Intermediate-Range Missiles in Neighboring Countries

Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of China's diplomacy
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of diplomacy, expressed opposition to the deployment of U.S. land-based intermediate-range missiles in neighboring countries. Since South Korea and Japan have been mentioned as possible neighboring countries where the U.S. might deploy intermediate-range missiles, this statement is also interpreted as a warning regarding that issue.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 13th, Minister Wang stated at the Geneva Disarmament Conference held via video conference on the 11th, "China opposes individual countries deploying land-based intermediate-range missiles near other countries." Although he did not mention any specific country by name, the terms "individual countries" and "other countries" are widely understood to refer to the United States and China, respectively.

China is deeply concerned about the possibility that the U.S. might deploy intermediate-range ballistic missiles aimed at China in countries such as South Korea or Japan.

When the U.S. deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea in 2017, China also opposed it as an "act that disrupts strategic balance" and imposed unofficial economic retaliations against South Korea. For China, intermediate-range missiles are even more sensitive because they are offensive weapons capable of directly striking its territory.

During the final period of the Donald Trump administration, the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and showed moves to deploy intermediate-range missiles in East Asian allied countries to contain China. Minister Wang also voiced opposition to the deployment of ballistic missile interception systems like THAAD. He asserted, "China opposes individual countries deploying regional or global missile interception systems that affect strategic stability."

However, the U.S. views China's missile forces, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, as a serious threat to U.S. military forces in the Western Pacific. Over the past several decades, China has focused on developing missile forces aimed at U.S. aircraft carriers and major U.S. military bases in the Western Pacific, with the goal of blocking U.S. military intervention in the event of a forced unification of Taiwan by military means.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.