US caution urged over missile move

China diplomats warn over deployment of US defense system in the ROK

"The deployment of the THAAD system by the US goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Senior Chinese diplomats have warned against any actions that damage China's interests by using the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as an excuse.

The warning comes as the United States is being allowed by the Republic of Korea to deploy a powerful missile system that will technically cover China and Russia.

Hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched a rocket on Feb 7, the US and ROK angered China and Russia by deciding to start talks on deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the US military base in the ROK.

In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "safeguarding China's national security interests" was a key principle for tackling the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

China "resolutely objects to any attempt by any country to infringe China's lawful rights and interests in the name of the peninsula nuclear issue", Wang said on Friday, according to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry.

"The deployment of the THAAD system by the US ... goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Wang said.

"It directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries."

When meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich on Friday, Wang said the US must be cautious about undermining China's security interests or "adding new complications to regional peace and stability".

Fu Ying, the National People's Congress' foreign affairs chief, said on Saturday at the Munich conference that China is puzzled and angered by the US actions, People Daily's website reported.

Fu added that the US had told China to cooperate on the peninsula nuclear issue while Washington had been involved in discussions with its allies about deploying the THAAD system.