PH has right to allow US missile system despite China’s opposition – DND

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has a right to allow the deployment of the United States’ missile system in the country despite China’s continuous opposition to it, according to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Teodoro said this on Tuesday following Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning’s statement of opposition to the country’s reported plan to acquire its own Typhon midrange capability missile system.

According to a report by Beijing-based publication Global Times, Mao said this move was an “extremely irresponsible decision” on Manila’s part.

“I want to reiterate that the introduction by the Philippines of such a mid-range missile system, which is both strategic and offensive, is a provocative and dangerous move in coordination with external forces to create regional tensions, incites geopolitical confrontation, and provokes an arms race,” Mao was quoted in the Global Times as saying.

But Teodoro said the deployment of such weapons in the country is “completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach.”

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“The Philippines is a sovereign state, not any country’s ‘doorstep,’” Teodoro said in a statement. “Any deployment and procurement of assets related to the Philippines’ security and defense fall within its own sovereign prerogative and are not subject to any foreign veto.”

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READ: West Philippine Sea: Brawner wants US missiles to stay in PH ‘forever’

The Typhon missile arrived in the Philippines from the United States on April 11 and was first used during its bilateral war games.

The Philippine Army said the ground-based missile system was also used for the bilateral Army drills between Manila and Washington, which concluded on Sept. 22. However, Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the missile system will remain in the country until further notice, as both countries evaluate whether it will be used in future drills.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would resume the production of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, citing the deployment of this missile.

Teodoro, however, said any plans of enhancement are part of the country’s Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept “on the basis of the Philippines’ own national interest and in accordance with our independent foreign policy.”

“It is not targeted against specific countries,” he said. “Instead, it is targeted against security risks, threats, and challenges.”

The deployment of such weapons comes amid mounting tensions in the West Philippine Sea due to Manila and Beijing’s overlapping claims.

Beijing’s actions are based on its assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, or the western section of the country inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In 2012, Manila and Beijing had a tense standoff over Panatag Shoal, with Manila withdrawing its ships, which allowed Beijing to maintain effective control of the lagoon to this day.

A year later, Manila lodged an arbitration case against Beijing after this standoff, leading to a historic 2016 arbitral award that rejected Beijing’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea.

“If the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is truly intent on reducing tensions and instability in the region, they should cease their saber rattling, stop their provocative actions, halt their interference in other countries’ internal affairs, withdraw their illegal presence from the Philippines’ EEZ, and adhere to International Law,” Teodoro said.

“While the CCP is criticizing the modest capability development of the Philippines, they are continuously building up their nuclear arsenal and ballistic missile capability, sponsoring criminal syndicates and subversive organizations beyond their shores, and are unwilling to uphold human rights in their own country,” he continued.