BEIJING, May 2. /TASS/. China calls for immediately stopping the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday.

"China’s position on the THAAD issue has not changed," he said. "We oppose the deployment of the US missile system to South Korea and call on all parties to immediately stop this process. We are ready to take necessary measures to protect our interests," Geng Shuang added.

Colonel Rob Manning, US Forces Korea Spokesman, told TASS earlier that "the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is operational and has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend the Republic of the Korea."

The ground-based THAAD missile system is designed to intercept the warheads of ballistic missiles at the end of the mid-course phase and during the approach to the target, and also to protect cities and key facilities from ballistic missiles - both short-range and strategic ones. A nuclear missile threat from North Korea was named as the reason for the deployment of the THAAD system to South Korea.

Seoul and Washington agreed on the deployment in July 2016. Russia, and China strongly opposed the implementation of this agreement.