China calls for halt to U.S. THAAD deployment in S.Korea

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - China on Saturday called for a halt to the deployment of the THAAD U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea and for relevant equipment to be dismantled, China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the U.N. Security Council. "The deployment of the THAAD system will not bring a solution to the issue of (North Korea's) nuclear testing and missile launches," Liu told the council after it imposed new sanctions on North Korea over two long-range missile launches. [nL1N1KR0FT] He also urged North Korea to "cease taking actions that might further escalate tensions." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)