2016年CRI China, Russia criticizes U.S. missile defense plans as ＂inconducive＂（在线收听）

Maj. Gen. Cai Jun from the Joint Staff Department under China's Central Military Commission criticized the U.S. plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield system, or THAAD, in South Korea.

He said the deployment of the advanced missile defense system is not conducive to settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, may hinder efforts for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and may trigger a new wave of the arms race.

"The decision to deploy a THAAD system in South Korea apparently does not conform to its alleged purpose, and will seriously damage the national security interests of countries including China and Russia. China resolutely opposes the THAAD plan and strongly urges the U.S. and South Korea to change their minds. Both China and Russia take similar stand on the issue, opposing the indefinite deployment of such systems by any countries or groups. Such deployments could damage global strategic balance and even deteriorate the global security environment."

Cai added that China has insisted on political and diplomatic efforts to achieve common security, stability and cooperation.

Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir from Russian military's General Staff said that the U.S. plan to deploy the anti-missile systems is aimed at curbing both Russia and China's strategic nuclear strength and consolidating its own hegemony.

"We have carefully analyzed the U.S. missile's ability to conduct warfare and its deployment situation. What I want to stress is that such anti-missile systems negatively affect the strategic stability of both Russia and China. Claiming to defend against missiles from Iran and North Korea, the anti-missile systems to be deployed by the U.S. near the boundaries of Russia and China are not purely defensive but rather an assault, strategically."

At the same time, both countries announced at the press conference that they will hold their second joint anti-missile drill next year.

Cai Jun said details regarding the drill are still under discussion.

"The purpose of the drill is to improve both countries' abilities in anti-missile and air defense, which is of great importance in dealing with air-and-space threats. We stress that the drill does not target any third party."

The first joint anti-missile drill, also a computer-assisted event held by the two countries, took place in May.

Earlier in his speech at the Xiangshan forum's opening ceremony, Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan noted that China has urged all countries to act multilaterally, not unilaterally.

"It's an urgent task for all of us to abandon the out dated cold war mentality. Instead we should establish a new type of security concept that focuses on common interests, a comprehensive outlook, cooperation and sustainability. We should all adhere to the purpose and principle of the UN Charter, to the principle of multilateralism, and to solve disputes through dialogue and consultation."

The seventh Xiangshan Forum opened in Beijing on Monday, with about 500 defense officials and scholars gathering to discuss global security cooperation.

Discussion at the forum, which wraps up today, range from how to cope with new challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and maritime security to fighting international terrorism.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.