PH should withdraw missile system from South China Sea — Chinese state media

BEIJING — Chinese state media on Wednesday called on the Philippines to withdraw the United States' Typhon intermediate range missile from the South China Sea, saying the Philippines had repeatedly broken its promises by introducing the missile system.

"The region needs peace and prosperity, not intermediate range missiles and confrontation," the newspaper of the governing Communist Party, People's Daily, said in a commentary. "The Philippines has repeatedly gone back on its word and acted in bad faith... initially promising that it was only a temporary deployment and that the system would be withdrawn," it added.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Late last month, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he was willing to pull out the Typhon missiles from the country only if China will stop its aggressions in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos made the remark in response to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry calling on the Philippines to "correct the wrongdoing as soon as possible" by pulling out the missile launchers.

"Let's make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and I'll return the Typhon missiles. Itigil nila ‘yung ginagawa nila, ibabalik ko lahat ‘yan. [Once they stop what they are doing, I will return everything]," Marcos said.

About two weeks later, the National Security Council (NSC) issued its own statement, saying that, "The Philippines never promised People's Republic of China that we will withdraw the Typhon missile system in the Philippines."

The 'actual' threat

Sought for comment Wednesday, the NSC maintained that the Typhon missile system is not the one endangering the region, but China's "rising missile inventory."

"The Philippines has the sovereign and inherent right to upgrade its defense capabilities in opportunities which it deems appropriate," NSC said.

The council added, "It is in this same spirit that we have not commented previously on China’s ever rising missile inventory which is the actual threat to regional stability. It is deceptive for the PRC (People's Republic of China) to comment or on our right to improve our defense capabilities and position when they are are the ones dramatically improving offensive capabilities."

Stressing that the Typhon is deployed "only for defense purposes," the NSC said it adheres to the Constitution which provides that the Philippines "can neither employ the use of nuclear weapons or engage in offensive war."

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, said no foreign nation can dictate how the country will fortify its defenses.

"Lahat po ito na ginagawa natin as we strengthen our alliances with like-minded nations, we continue with our exercises with the well-meaning nations. Lahat po 'yan parte po ng pag-strengthen natin ng ating depensa ng ating bansa," AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters in a virtual interview.

(We do these things as we strengthen our alliances with like-minded nations, we continue with our exercises with the well-meaning nations. All of that is part of strengthening our country's defense.)

Padilla stressed that it is the mandate of the AFP to uphold national security so the military needs to counter and mitigate attacks to protect Philippines' sovereignty "in the face of modern challenges."

GMA News Online has also requested comment from Malacañang, the Department of National Defense (DND), and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regarding the matter.

Reuters earlier quoted a senior Philippine government source as saying that the US military had relocated its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system from Laoag Airfield to another site in Luzon.

The Typhon missile system includes Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of hitting targets in both China and Russia, while its SM-6 missiles can engage air or sea targets over 200 kilometers away, according to the report.

The official added that the redeployment was aimed at testing how quickly and efficiently the missile battery could be moved to a new firing position.

Last January, the Philippine Army said the Typhon launchers would not be used in upcoming military drills, saying that the training with the missile system would focus on its payload delivery system.

The commanding general of the Philippine Army has said the military plans to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect the country's maritime interests. — Reuters/ with a report from Anna Felicia Bajo/ VDV, GMA Integrated News