中国愤怒回应美韩启动萨德部署

Washington and Seoul have begun deploying a controversial US missile shield on South Korean soil, in a move that has outraged China and raised tensions in a region put on edge by North Korean belligerence.

华盛顿和首尔方面已经开始在韩国领土上部署有争议的美国反导弹系统，此举激怒了中国，加剧了因朝鲜挑衅本已紧张的地区局势。

The US and South Korea had been planning to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) system by the end of the year, but they said that installation had started on Monday after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

美国和韩国本来计划在年底之前部署“末段高空区域防御系统”（THAAD，中文简称：萨德），但在朝鲜向日本海发射4枚弹道导弹之后，两国宣布已经于本周一启动了安装工作。

“Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday’s launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy Thaad to South Korea,” said Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, after the commencement of installation was announced.

在宣布安装工作启动之后，美国太平洋舰队司令、海军上将哈里?哈里斯(Admiral Harry Harris)表示：“朝鲜方面的持续挑衅（包括昨日发射多枚导弹）只是证实了美韩同盟去年做出的在韩国部署萨德的决定是审慎的。”

China reacted angrily to the move, saying it “firmly opposes” the deployment of the system, which is designed to counter North Korea’s large arsenal of short-range and medium-range missiles. Washington insists the system is aimed solely at defending South Korea and Japan, but China views the Thaad system as a threat to its own ballistic missiles and warned that it would be forced to respond to “secure our own security interests”.

中国对此作出愤怒反应，称其“坚决反对”部署萨德系统——部署该系统的目的是防范朝鲜数量众多的中短程导弹。华盛顿方面坚称，萨德系统只是为韩国和日本提供防御，但中国将该系统视为对自身弹道导弹的威胁，并警告称，将被迫做出回应以“确保自身的安全利益”。

“We once again strongly urge the relevant sides to stop the process of deployment and refrain from going further down that wrong path,” said the Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson.

中国外交部一位发言人表示：“我们再次强烈敦促有关方面停止相关部署进程，不要在错误道路上越走越远。”