N Korean Threats - Chinese Fears

From the regular press conference
summoned by China's ministry of
foreign affairs on 2nd May 2017:



朝鲜部署新潜射弹道导弹基地

North Korea installs new base for submarines able to launch ballistic missiles.

[Editor's Note: This is referring to a location at the N Korean coastline of the Yellow
or Western Sea 西海 which stretches between the Korean peninsula and China]

问：美方今天宣称在韩国部署的“萨德”反导系统已经可以启用了，中方对此有何回应？

Question: Today the U.S. declared the antimissile system THAAD which is deployed in South Korea as being already fully operational. What is China's answer to that ?

答：在“萨德”反导系统问题上，中方的立场是非常明确的，也是坚定的。我们反对美国在韩国部署“萨德”反导系统，敦促有关方面立即停止部署进程。 同时，我们将坚决采取必要措施，捍卫自身利益。

Answer: As to the question of the THAAD antimissile system, China's position is unusually clear-cut and firm. We are opposing the U.S. deployment of a THAAD antimissile system in South Korea, and we urge the concerned sides to immediately stop the deploying process. At the same time we firmly take the necessary steps to defend our interests.

[Source: SINA 新浪 on 2nd May 2017]




Editor's Note:

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is a United States Army anti-ballistic missile system designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. The missile carries no warhead, but relies on the kinetic energy of impact to destroy the incoming missile. A kinetic energy hit minimizes the risk of exploding conventional warhead ballistic missiles, and nuclear tipped ballistic missiles will not detonate upon a kinetic energy hit.

The Chinese reaction comes shortly after western sources reported the missile-defense system had gone into operation in South Korea last week as a protection against North Korean short and long range missiles. More on NY Times: U.S. Antimissile System Goes Live in South Korea.

Among all that stuff that has been written on North Korea, here's an interesting article on North Korea's economy and its manifold links with China to open your eyes:

How we’ll know when China really is working with the US on North Korea