China threatens to cross the Yalu River to resolve THAAD

China will never be willing to "swallow the bitter pill" when US-Japan-South Korean forces approach the borders of three eastern Chinese provinces.

Explaining the “fear” of THAAD

Chinese analysts acknowledge that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea is a milestone event with major changes and profound adjustments to the strategic landscape of Northeast Asia.

China absolutely cannot take this lightly and must respond strongly, thereby restoring the regional strategic balance.

Accordingly, with the comprehensive penetration and operation of THAAD in South Korea, the strategic balance in Northeast Asia will be completely broken, and Northeast Asia from now on has entered the "post-THAAD deployment period".

THAAD mobile missile launchers brought to South Korea by the US

To cope, Chinese analysts say it is necessary to prepare comprehensively in terms of economy, politics and military, ready for the worst case scenario.

In this part one article, we cover China's rationale for why it needs to oppose THAAD in South Korea and why it needs to support North Korea.

China understands that the possibility of THAAD being moved out of South Korea is almost zero because deploying THAAD in South Korea is a strategy that the US has long determined and intended. The US has always wanted to integrate the missile defense system in Northeast Asia, comprehensively building a "missile defense arc" in Northeast Asia with the US playing the leading role, and South Korea and Japan participating.

From there, weaken China's missile attack capability to gain absolute superiority in nuclear power confrontation with China, moving towards forming military containment of China.

US soldiers install THAAD in Seongju, South Korea

North Korea's nuclear tests have given the US and South Korea a reason to deploy THAAD, but even if North Korea does not conduct nuclear tests, the US could find other reasons to deploy THAAD in South Korea.

The reason why North Korea conducts so many nuclear tests is because of the serious threat from the US to North Korea's national security. Therefore, the situation has formed a vicious cycle:

“US and South Korea conduct joint military exercises to provoke North Korea – North Korea is forced to conduct nuclear tests – US and South Korea upgrade military exercises – North Korea continues to be forced to conduct nuclear tests”.

From that we can see that the US is the main subject causing chaos on the Korean peninsula.

According to Chinese analysts, technically, the X-band radar system used by THAAD is considered the largest and most powerful land-based mobile radar in the world today, with a detection range of over 2,000 km, and a radar control range that far exceeds the defense needs of the Korean peninsula, and can cover the center of northern China.

China worries that THAAD will upset the strategic balance in the region.

Strategically, the US deployment of THAAD in South Korea has disrupted the regional strategic balance. At the same time, the deployment of THAAD in South Korea is the first step for the US to deploy in Northeast Asia, and then it can accelerate the deployment in Japan, and even in Taiwan, to strengthen the US's "first island chain".

The fundamental goal of the US is to make things difficult for China in the “first island chain”, forcing China to make concessions and be controlled when negotiating strategic interests.

Deploying THAAD in South Korea is a military arrangement for the US to build a "Little NATO in Asia" (Little NATO in Asia refers to the US and Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, India... signing bilateral and multilateral agreements to establish a military alliance with the US playing the leading role), to contain China militarily, and is also a major step for the US in its strategy of "returning to Asia-Pacific".

No fear of radiation from North Korea

Chinese analysts believe that North Korea's research and development of nuclear weapons is not ultimately aimed at China, but the US's deployment of THAAD in South Korea is to counter China.

Meanwhile, concerns that North Korea's nuclear tests could cause nuclear contamination in China are "unnecessary".

According to VNE