China said Tuesday it "will not stand by idly" if the U.S. follows through with plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the coming months in the Asia-Pacific region, reports AP.
Why it matters: The warning comes after the U.S. formally withdrew last week from the Cold War-era Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement with Russia — which the U.S. claimed was unfair because other geopolitical rivals, like China, weren't restricted by its limits. Chinese officials also said they have no plans of joining nuclear weapons talks with the U.S. and Russia due to China's smaller arsenal.