China has warned South Korea and the U.S. will suffer the consequences of their decision to deploy a U.S. THAAD antimissile system on the Korean Peninsula following Lotte Group’s approval of a land swap deal for the deployment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday that Seoul and Washington’s pursuit of the deployment severely destroys regional strategic balance and damages the security interests of China and other countries.

The spokesman also said China stands resolutely opposed to THAAD and will take necessary steps to protect its security interests.

He added that South Korea and the U.S. will be responsible for any fallout, and urged the two nations to halt the deployment. 

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