CHINA TOPIX

11/24/2024 02:14:16 am

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China Prepared to Counter THAAD Missile System in South Korea

S. Korea Begins Process To Deploy THAAD

(Photo : Getty Images) In this handout photo provided by U.S. Forces Korea, trucks are seen carrying parts required to set up the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system that had arrived at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

China is prepared to counter the US' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system using its anti-radar equipment, Wang Hongguang, a retired PLA general, said on Monday.

Wang said that China knows that it cannot convince South Korea to stop the US anti-missile system from being deployed. His remarks came after South Korea decided to uphold the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, the former Korean president who has supported the THAAD installation to help safeguard South Korean from the nuclear threats posed by North Korea.

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Although the recent decision on Park's impeachment has ignited hopes that the THAAD plans could be put on hold, Wang said that China is no longer taking any chances on policy change of the next Korean president. He added that Beijing had measures in place to neutralize THAAD's radars.

"We will complete our deployment before THAAD begins operations. There is no need to wait for two months [before a new South Korean leader is elected]," Wang, who is also a former deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region, said, adding that China's anti-THAAD equipment is already in place and just needs the perfect location.

Meanwhile, Yue Gang, a former colonel in the People's Liberation Army, also said that China has the ability to neutralize or destroy the THAAD. However, he noted that destroying it would only be an option during wartime.

Another expert from the PLA Air Force Fu Qianshao also suggested that China could send planes to fly close to THAAD and interfere with its radar signals.

The first THAAD components were successfully delivered at the Osan Air Base in South Korea last week.

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