China said Tuesday it successfully conducted a test of a ground-based missile defense system amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Concern over a potential conflict with nuclear-armed North Korea is growing following a series of bellicose statements between Washington and Pyongyang.
Monday鈥檚 test of the mid-range missile system 鈥渁chieved its anticipated goal鈥� according to a brief statement by the Chinese defense ministry.
鈥淭his test was defensive. It does not target any country,鈥� it added.
The US has deployed a missile defense system, known as THAAD, in South Korea to guard against threats from North Korea, despite objections from Beijing, which considers the installation a threat to its own security.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have been pushing a diplomatic strategy to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to come to the table and negotiate away his nuclear weapons.
But other senior figures in the Trump Administration have reportedly endorsed the idea of a 鈥渂loody nose鈥� strike to damage Kim鈥檚 nuclear sector and show the US means business, hopefully without provoking a wider war.
Trump鈥檚 pick for ambassador to South Korea, Victor Cha, was dropped after refusing to endorse the idea, according to a recent article in the Washington Post.
During last week鈥檚 State of the Union address, Trump warned that Pyongyang鈥檚 weapons program 鈥渃ould very soon threaten our homeland.鈥�