[Yonhap News Photo]
The US Army chief of staff told his Chinese counterpart that the THAAD missile defense system the US plans to deploy to South Korea is "not a threat in any way to China".
Gen. Mark A. Milley made the remark during a two-hour meeting with People's Liberation Army Gen. Li Zuocheng in Beijing, stressing the missile defense system is aimed only at defending against North Korean threats, according to a US Army statement.
"He told his counterpart that the US-Republic of Korea alliance decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is a defensive measure to protect South Koreans and Americans from the North Korean ballistic missile threat, not a threat in any way to China," the statement said.
South Korea and the U.S. decided last month to place a THAAD battery in the South.
China has strongly protested the decision, claiming that the system, especially its powerful "X-band" radar, can be used against it, despite repeated assurances from the U.S. and the South that the system is purely defensive and designed only to cope with North Korean threats.
In Tuesday's talks, Milley expressed the US intent to maintain open channels of communications with the Chinese military to reduce the risk of crisis or miscalculation and candidly address differences, the Army said.
"Gen. Milley also reaffirmed the US commitment to adhere to international rules and standards and encouraged the Chinese to do the same as a way of reducing regional tensions," it said. "Gen. Milley also discussed ways to deepen practical cooperation between the US Army and the PLA in areas like humanitarian assistance and disaster response."
China was the first leg of Milley's nine-day trip that will take him to South Korea, Japan and Hawaii. In South Korea, Milley will visit U.S. Army troops and meet with Korean military leaders.
(Yonhap)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
