China's opposition to the potential deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to South Korea is "preposterous" as it amounts to wedging itself between Seoul and Washington over a defensive system, the U.S. Pacific commander said Tuesday.

"I find it preposterous that China would try to wedge itself between South Korea and the United States for a missile system designed to defend Americans and Koreans on the peninsula," Adm.

Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

"If they were truly concerned, if they truly interested, I believe China would and should intervene with North Korea and convince them to quit their cycle of provocation," he said.

Shortly after the North's missile launch on Feb. 7, South Korea and the U.S. jointly announced they would begin official discussions on the possible placement of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.

That ended more than a year of soul-searching by Seoul over how to deal with the issue amid Washington's desire to deploy the system and China's intense opposition to it. The North's twin provocations of its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and then a missile test a month later gave Seoul justification for the decision.

China has claimed THAAD can be used against it, despite repeated assurances from Washington that the system is aimed only at deterring North Korean threats. Beiing expressed regret after the South and the U.S. announced the decision to hold THAAD talks.

Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the two allies will soon begin talks about the feasibility of deploying the THAAD system to the South. He also said that China should exercise its influence with North Korea, rather than raising objections with THAAD.

"They state that they're concerned about stability on their border and I believe they place that value above the risk they believe they are taking with Kim Jong-un," he said. "We certainly hope that they'll reconsider that calculus because they certainly can have a greater influence in North Korea given that 80 percent of their trade and a good deal of North Korea's banking is with China."

The commander also said that it is critical for South Korea and the U.S. to establish a "layered and interoperable ballistic missile defense system" and THAAD's deployment will advance the goal and complement the Patriot system's capabilities.

Scaparrotti said his top concern remains the potential for a North Korean provocation to start a cycle of action and counteraction, which could quickly escalate just like the tense military standoff between the two Koreas in August.

"While I am proud to report that our alliance stood shoulder-to-shoulder and de-escalated the situation, it could have spiraled out of control and demonstrates why we must be ready to fight tonight on the peninsula," he said, adding that the August crisis was the highest tension since 1994. (Yonhap)