(CNN)With missiles at their borders and neighbors aligning with an adversary, China and Russia could feel boxed in.
But they're in it together, and the two appear to be taking steps together against US global hegemony.
The countries released a joint statement this week voicing their opposition to US and South Korean plans to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, according to both Russian and Chinese state media.
They also plan to take countermeasures, but what exactly they consist of was not specified,according to state-run Xinhua news.
"We think the US-South Korean decision to deploy the THAAD missile defense system has seriously threatened China's security interest. For the region, it will also break the strategic balance. So it's completely understandable to see countries in the region firmly oppose this decision," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Friday. "China and other countries have to address our own legitimate security concerns and take necessary measures to safeguard our security interest."
The announcement comes as the country's National Security Office Chief, Kim Kwan-jin, met with incoming US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. According to Korean government representatives, the two reaffirmed that THAAD's deployment will be moving ahead as planned.
The missile system is designed to take out incoming projectiles -- and has been cited as a way to potentially stop a North Korean nuclear attack.
But Russia and China worry that the system is capable of much more than that and is a threat too close to their borders.
They believe THAAD will be used to track missiles from either China or Russia, and its placement in South Korea is an attempt to geopolitically contain the two countries.
"It's natural and logical for China and Russia to take a joint position," says Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies, citing that THAAD's range.
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