On Monday, US Forces Korea spokesman Col. Rob Manning told Sputnik that the THAAD system had already become operational and was ready to protect South Korea from a potential attack by North Korea.
"I think that as for THAAD our position is clear and decisive. We are against the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. We call on the relevant parties to stop the deployment of THAAD immediately," Geng said at a briefing.
He added that China would exert maximum efforts to protect its interests.
In 2016, South Korea and the United States reached an agreement to deploy the THAAD system on the Korean peninsula amid rising tension caused by Pyongyang's activities testing nuclear programs and missiles. The Chinese government has repeatedly voiced concerns over the THAAD issue, saying that the deployment would significantly undermine Beijing's security interests.
