The Chinese government has called on the United States and North Korea to resolve their issues through direct talks as tension in the region continues to mount in the wake of Pyongyang's rocket launch earlier this month. 

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei issued the entreaty on Monday when asked by a reporter to comment on the possible deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile batteries to South Korea.  

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"We believe that the focus of the Peninsula nuclear issue is on the US and the DPRK," Hong said.  "We are willing to urge both countries to be seated, talk and discuss how to address each other's reasonable concerns so as to finally achieve the goal we all hope."

"X-Band Radar"

North Korea's latest rocket launch has forced South Korea to sweep aside its initial hesitation about permitting the sophisticated THAAD systems within its borders. 

While officials in Seoul have been considering the deployment of the system all along, the subject was surrounded by controversy, largely because of South Korea's increasingly close economic and diplomatic ties with China.

"We have grave concerns about the possible deployment of the THAAD missile defense system by the US in the ROK," Hong said, adding that the US defensive weapon's X-band radar system's coverage far exceeds South Korea's defense needs.    

Some analysts suggest that the prospect of THAAD batteries in South Korea has already compelled the Chinese government to re-think its opposition to hard-line sanctions against Kim Jong Un's government. 

White House national security adviser Susan Rice said she now expects China to support tough new international sanctions on North Korea for its rocket launch, a move Washington officials claim China had previously opposed.

On Board?

"I think it's unlikely that China wants to be seen by the international community as the protector of North Korea given its recent outrageous behavior," Rice told reporters at a briefing on Monday. "Given that, I expect that they will indeed come on board with significant new sanctions and we're working toward that end."

THAAD is a US land-based anti-missile system designed to shoot down incoming short, medium and intermediate-range missiles. 

The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said that each THAAD battery includes a transportable radar system, a truck-mounted launcher and eight interceptors that can be fired and reloaded in rapid succession.  

Citing an unnamed source from South Korea's diplomatic community, Yonhap news agency reports that the US and China are already engaged in talks over the deployment of the missile shield in South Korea.

"The Chinese side has been opposed to the THAAD with incorrect information and the discussions are aimed at changing China's view about the issue," said the source.  

Tensions have risen steadily in the Korean Peninsula since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un detonated a nuclear weapon and then launched a space rocket in the span of a few weeks earlier this year.

TagsChina-South Korea relations, US-China relations, THAAD, China-North Korea relations