Washington's plan to expand an advanced missile-defense system in Asia is directed at Pyongyang, not Beijing, the US State Department said on Thursday.

However, military experts in both the United States and China questioned the US' intentions, saying the expensive system, which is well beyond Pyongyang's military capability, is actually "looking at China".

The Chinese military also called for the US to handle anti-missile issues with great discretion and avoid "letting its own state security take priority over other countries' national security".