China slams Philippines over US-made Typhon missiles, warns of ‘arms race’ in region

‘Cooperating with the US to introduce the Typhon’ poses major threat to regional peace, Beijing warns in third such comment this week

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Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr has described the deployment of the US Typhon system as “completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach”. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:24pm, 26 Dec 2024Updated: 9:46pm, 26 Dec 2024

China has ramped up pressure on the Philippines to withdraw the US Typhon missile system stationed there, warning of “arms race risks” in the region.

Beijing’s foreign ministry on Thursday also slammed Manila’s plans to acquire its own set of the mid-range missiles, two days after the Philippine defence chief asserted his country’s “sovereign prerogative” to boost its security capabilities.

“The Philippines, by cooperating with the United States to introduce the Typhon, is handing over its own security and defence, bringing geopolitical confrontation and arms race risks into the region, which poses a substantial threat to regional peace and security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“Whose interests are truly being served by such actions? How can one speak of independent diplomacy in this context? This is a typical case of harming both others and oneself.”

The comments were the third series on the issue this week from Beijing. They followed Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr’s statement on Tuesday justifying the deployment of the US system and the Philippine army’s confirmation on Monday of plans to acquire its own Typhon missiles, despite continued strong opposition from China.

The US Army deployed the medium-range missile system in the northern Philippines after bringing them in for joint military drills over April and May.