Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Photo: internet

"If the US side goes ahead with its plans for deploying intermediate range missiles in the Asia-Pacific Region, China will take the necessary counter-measures to protect its interests in the field of security," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. He added that the US’s announcements and actions in recent years, as well as its influence on international disarmament and control, have adversely affected regional and global security and degraded trust among major countries.