The U.S. will "pay the price" for its decision to put an advanced missile defense system in South Korea, China's most influential daily newspaper said on Saturday.

In a commentary, the People's Daily, the official media outlet of the Chinese Communist Party, said, "If the United States and South Korea harm the strategic security interests of countries in the region including China, then they are destined to pay the price for this and receive a proper counter-attack."

The commentary was published under the name Zhong Sheng, meaning "voice of China," a non de plume that is often used to give the party's views on foreign policy.



Since South Korea said in July that it would host a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, China has made clear its opposition to the deployment on the grounds that it could compromise Chinese security and inflame tensions with volatile neighbor North Korea.

"Like any other country, China can neither be vague nor indifferent on security matters that affect its core interests," the commentary said.