Chinese Government More Upset By THAAD Discussions Than Nuclear Explosion In Their Backyard

This just shows the level of concern the Chinese government has for their own people.  An irresponsible regime in North Korea is blowing up nuclear weapons right across the border from China and the Chinese government is more outraged by a missile defense system that has no strategic impact on them or would harm their citizens:

Speaking on Saturday (Feb 13) at the Munich Security Conference, Fu said that while her country is displeased with the recent nuclear test by North Korea – formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – citizens are even more concerned by the US response.

“The Chinese public is also angry about the DPRK nuclear issue, but they’re even more angry about THAAD,” Fu said, referring to the Thermal High Altitude Area Defence anti-ballistic missile system the US says it deployed to protect against North Korea.

“It covers more territory in China than in North and South Korea together.”  [The Strait Times]

What Ms. Fu is saying is intentionally misleading.  The THAAD radar may have a range that looks into China, but the interceptors do not because the system is designed to intercept short to medium range ballistic missiles.  It has no capability against ICBMs.  I wish someone would challenge the Chinese government to prove the THAAD can intercept ICBMs.  If the THAAD could intercept ICBMs then why does the US have the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system fielded in Alaska and California to defend against limited ICBM attacks?

It is pretty clear the Chinese government knows this, but in my opinion they are just trying to drive a wedge between the US and the ROK.  If they can pressure the ROK to stop the THAAD deployment they hope this will create animosity between the US and the ROK while demonstrating China’s increased influence.  That is all that this is about and the THAAD issue is just an excuse to do this.