People from Seongju county hold banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)
Both China and Russia oppose the planned deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula, which endangers their national security and challenges the region's strategic balance.
The joint decision by the United States and South Korea is seen as part of a Washington-intended global anti-missile shield to serve U.S. hegemony. The move, with the declared purpose of protecting South Korea from alleged missile and nuclear threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is no doubt intended for China and Russia.
The THAAD system is useless against low-altitude missiles from the North, but its X-band radar could easily penetrate into the territories of China and Russia, which the United States considers the main challengers to its supremacy.
Deployment of such an anti-missile system is expected to prompt countermeasures and an arms race with a new Cold War looming in the region. Russian analysts believe this is the most serious military provocation in years in Northeast Asia.
Political trust could be unraveled, prosperous economic and trade ties could be destabilized and regional security could worsen.
As the Korean Peninsula plays an important role in the international geopolitical landscape, it is in the interests of China and Russia to maintain peace and stability there.
The United States should not underestimate the determination of both countries to safeguard their strategic security interests. The two countries are coordinating closer than ever before, which will serve as a basis to face the THAAD challenge.
For Washington, its devoted efforts towards a global anti-missile shield also reveals an anxiety over its declining influence in the world and a lack of confidence in keeping its territory safe. However, safeguarding its own security while putting other countries at risk is simply intolerable.
