Full coverage: THAAD Deployment in South Korea

The 5th World Peace Forum has concluded in Beijing. The two-day event was organized by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs.

The 5th World Peace Forum has concluded in Beijing. The two-day event was organized by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Forty-three representatives from more than 20 countries and nearly 200 international studies scholars took part. The theme was “The Order of Common Security.” Participants discussed traditional sovereign security, including the South China Sea issue, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the “Belt and Road” initiative, relationships between world powers, and anti-terrorism efforts.

The discussion also centered on the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system. China again expressed its concern and called for terminating its deployment on the Korean Peninsula.

“The deployment of THAAD in the ROK by the US and the Republic of Korea act against the efforts to achieve denuclearization and to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui.

“The coverage extent and anti-missile capability of THAAD have gone beyond the actual requirement of the peninsula. This has severely undermined the strategic and security interests of all the other countries in the area, including China, and harmed the strategic balance in the region.

“Aggravating the armament race will severely impact the global strategic balance and stability. We strongly urge the two sides to stop the deployment and not to take any other action that may complicate the current regional situation.”