U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Washington's decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was also made because of China's steps.
Bolton made the comment on Fox News in response to China's protests against U.S. plans to consider deploying conventional, intermediate-range missiles in Asia.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper made the plan known over the weekend after Washington withdrew from a missile treaty with Russia.
"That's because China has already got thousands of such missiles deployed. They [Chinese] were not part of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. So they were free to do what they wanted. That's one reason President Trump withdrew from the treaty," Bolton stressed.
Bolton argued any U.S. deployment of missiles would be defensive. "We're talking only about defending our deployed forces, our allies in South Korea, Japan and elsewhere," Yonhap cited him as saying.
"It's China that's built up its military forces and posed a threat," the Security Adviser stressed.
