Chinese, Russian militaries to hold simulated anti-missile drills in Beijing

Deputy Commander of the Chinese Navy Wang Hai (L) greets Russian marines during a joint naval drill in China’s Guangdong Province, on September 14, 2016.

The Chinese and Russian militaries are preparing to hold joint computer-assisted anti-missile drills in what is said to be a response to the deployment of a US missile system is South Korea.

China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the militaries will hold the simulated anti-missile drills in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in December.

The militaries will practice defense against missiles and how to handle “sudden and provocative attacks on the two countries’ territories by ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” said the ministry.

“The drill is not aimed at any third party,” said the statement, without providing more details.

Russia and China held their first computer anti-missile defense drills in May 2016.

The new drill is said to be carried out in response to the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea.  Washington has deployed that missile system to deter what it describes as a threat from North Korea.

China and Russia, which have close military and diplomatic ties, have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the deployment of the THAAD, saying it will do nothing to help ease the tensions with Pyongyang. They, instead, call for a peaceful, negotiated solution to the dispute with North Korean over its nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea, meanwhile, has been negotiating with the United States to purchase a nuclear-powered submarine as well, several news outlets said earlier this month.

Pyongyang has been under harsh international sanctions since 2006 over its multiple missile launches and nuclear tests. The United Nations Security Council, in September, tightened those bans even further after North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test involving a hydrogen bomb.

Washington and Japan have also imposed their own bans against the North.

The North says it would continue to develop its missile and nuclear programs as a deterrent against potential foreign aggression.