US Plan for "Missile Shield" in Eastern Europe is Criticized by China

At a weekly press briefing, Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said the shield would upset a delicate balance of security among major powers.

"The Chinese side has always held that missile defense impacts the strategic balance and stability," said Jiang. "It is not conducive to mutual trust between major powers and also regional security. It can also bring new proliferation problems."

China sides with Russia, another vocal opponent of the proposed missile defense system, in demanding the U.S. scrap the plan. U.S. officials say the shield is not offensive and would only be used to defend against attacks from nations such as Iran and North Korea.