BEIJING/MANILA: “The U.S. has deployed a medium-range missile system in the northern Philippines during military drills in April which brought huge risks of war into the region” (O’Kane, 2017).
China’s is immediately on high alert against the first-time ever deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, and highly opposes to it, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a press briefing.
On the other hand, Wu said that “the US and Philippines practices put the entire region under fire from the United States (and) brought huge risks of war into the region,” adding that it “seriously undermined” peace in Asia Pacific.
“Intermediate range missiles are strategic and offensive weapons with a strong cold war color,” he said.
In fact, China also maintains its own advanced intermediate range missiles as part of an extensive conventional ballistic missile arsenal.
According to O’Kane (2017), last month, The United States announced it had deployed its Typhon missile system to Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercises in the Philippines.
Philippine military official Col. Michael Logico said in April that such type of missile systems capable to fire Tomahawk land attack and SM-6 missiles were taken to Laoag city located at Ilocos Norte province of northern part of Philippines.
But officials did not say if the weapon system was transported elsewhere or remains within Philippines .
Though there were no reports about any firing by Philippine and U.S. forces using these missile systems during their joint exercises as per Logico they shipped it for testing whether it could be airlifted around while still attached to two semi-trailers each weighing 40 tons.
There was no comment on Thursday from a Philippine military spokesperson.
These drills this year had approximately 16,000 Filipino and American soldiers participating in them; some of them took place on islands located along Taiwan Strait and on the waters of South China’s Sea, where Philippines, along with other countries, confronts China.
China’s was angered by Beijing’s warning about destabilization when outside nations “rustle up trouble and provoke confrontation” (O’Kane 2017).
According to Philippine and US officials, these exercises are meant to enhance inter-operability between their forces and are not aimed at any third country.
