China intensifying THAAD retaliation

China may continue to ratchet up its retaliation against South Korea over Seoul's decision to allow the deployment of a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery here, analysts said Monday. In what was likely a retaliatory manoeuvre last week, Beijing abruptly banned South Korean airlines from operating chartered flights between the two countries beginning this month. Chinese airlines also withdrew their plan to run chartered flights to Korea. Beijing's decision, made ahead of the busy travel season on the occasion of the Lunar New Year in late January, was the latest in a series of measures that are believed to be protests over the deployment of THAAD. Analysts said China may expand its political attacks on Korea to foreign affairs and security policies. <br/>