Manila plan over missile deployment condemned

Beijing reiterated on Thursday its call for Manila to promptly withdraw the Typhon medium-range missile system, vowing it will never sit idly by and wait for its security interests to be harmed or threatened.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning slammed the Philippines for collaborating with the United States to deploy the Typhon missile system and provoking confrontation in the region, describing the act as "a typical example of harming both others and itself".

Manila had promised the Typhon system deployed on its soil for annual joint military exercises in April would be pulled out of the country in September or even earlier. However, the Philippines later expressed its intentions to make the deployment permanent and to even purchase the system.

Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro said in a statement on Tuesday that the deployment of the US' midrange missile assets in the Philippines in the context of joint exercises is completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach, claiming the move aligned with its national interests and independent foreign policy.

He also made unfounded accusations against China after Beijing warned the weapons could heighten geopolitical tensions and spark a regional arms race.

"This is a blatant breach of trust and a failure to honor commitments," Mao said, cautioning that if the Philippines continues on the wrong path, it will ultimately harm itself.

Mao emphasized that the Typhon medium-range missile system, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, is not a defensive weapon but rather a "strategic and offensive" one.

She recalled that the Philippines had previously committed to not taking sides in major power rivalries, not participating in any actions detrimental to China, and not escalating regional tensions.

By collaborating with the US to introduce the Typhon, the Philippines is "placing its national security and defense in the hands of others" and "posing a substantial threat to regional peace and security", Mao said.

"Whose interests are such behavior serving? How can this align with an independent foreign policy," the spokeswoman asked.

Mao noted that countries in the region can see clearly which country is persistently provoking trouble in the South China Sea, aiding external forces in flaunting military might, and engaging in unlawful actions under the guise of international law.

The only correct choice for the Philippines to safeguard its national security is to uphold strategic autonomy, promote good-neighborly friendship and adhere to peaceful development, she said, calling on Manila to heed the voices of countries in the region and refrain from making further mistakes.

"Certain individuals in the Philippines should adopt a correct understanding, engage in self-reflection and cease playing poor tricks of distorting facts and shifting blame," she added.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn