China has summoned the South Korean and U.S. ambassadors in Beijing to protest Seoul and Washington's joint decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) battery to South Korea.

In a regular briefing Friday, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said the Beijing government conveyed its grave concerns to South Korean Ambassador Kim Jang-soo and U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus.

When asked if Beijing was taking other response measures, the spokesman urged the two countries to immediately stop procedures on the deployment.

Immediately after the deployment decision was announced at around 11 a.m., the Chinese Foreign Ministry posted a statement on its Web site expressing "strong discontent and stern opposition" over the move.