Is China Really Concerned About THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 Radar?

Here is the latest theory on the so called real reason the Chinese are upset with the THAAD deployment to South Korea:

The second hypothesis is, I think, more convincing, and one where Beijing may have legitimate concern about the Gyeongsangbuk-do AN/TPY-2 radar upsetting U.S.-China strategic nuclear stability. Specifically, China may — correctly or incorrectly — fear that its nuclear second-strike capability is significantly degraded as a result of a third U.S. AN/TPY-2 radar going up specifically near the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.

To avoid the need for a massive nuclear build-up and to feel comfortable with its several hundred or so nuclear warheads for targeting, China needs to feel comfortable enough its intercontinental ballistic missiles can reliably penetrate U.S. antiballistic missile countermeasures.  [The Diplomat]

It does not matter what radar is in Korea because the Ground-based Missile Defense (GMD) system fielded by the United States is not designed to shoot down complex ICBMs like the Chinese and Russians both have.  It is designed to intercept non-complex ICBMs from rogue nations like North Korea and Iran.

Here is the part of the article where somebody let out the “good idea fairy”:

Li’s proposed solution for the United States was simple enough: the United States could “deploy its Green Pine radar or another radar with similar capabilities to guide the THAAD interceptors.” Li add that the “THAAD TPY-2 radar does not provide more capability to protect the ROK from the North Korean missile threat relative to a Green Pine-level radar since the TPY-2 radar’s detection range goes too far beyond North Korean territory.” It’s unclear also if a Green Pine radar would synergize with the existing AN/TPY-2s in Japan.

First of all Green Pine is not a US radar, it is an Israeli radar that was sold to the ROK.  The ROK has two of these radars deployed on the peninsula.  THAAD is not designed or tested to use anything but the AN/TPY-2 radar.  If you want to know why the THAAD system uses the AN/TPY-2 radar doing a search on Youtube is a good place to begin.  The Green Pine radar is designed to work with the Israeli Arrow system.  These are two completely different systems with their own complex hardware and software that cannot be mix and matched.

The reason why China is opposed to THAAD is the simplest answer which is they are attempting to create a wedge in the US-ROK alliance.  The Chinese feel that that the US is trying to recreate the old USSR containment strategy against them and thus are taking actions to counter this.  They have made inroads within the Philippines at countering US influence there are are now focusing on the ROK.  With a left wing politician expected to be elected in a couple of months in the ROK we will see if this strategy works for the Chinese.