US to Deploy Intermediate-Range Missile System in the Philippines, China Constantly Anxious

The Philippines has revealed its “extreme” concerns over the recent deployment of intermediate-range missile systems by the US military in the country. Prior reports indicated that the Chinese Embassy in Washington has been in contact with sources to gather more details about the deployment of the “Typhon” missile launcher to Luzon Island.

According to the Associated Press, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo stated on Friday that during an informal ASEAN meeting held last month in Laos, he had a conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who expressed China’s worries about the US deploying intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines.

At a press conference in Manila with foreign journalists, Manalo responded to questions by saying, “We discussed this issue, and they (China) have made it very dramatic. I told them not to worry.”

When asked specifically what China was worried about, Manalo mentioned that Wang Yi cautioned that the presence of US missile systems could “destabilize stability,” but the Philippine Foreign Minister disagreed. Manalo stated that he told Wang Yi, “They will not destabilize,” as the missile systems are only temporarily deployed in the Philippines.

On April 15, the US Indo-Pacific Command announced that the US Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1st MDTF) had deployed the intermediate-range strike-capable “Typhon” missile system in northern Luzon, Philippines for the first time.

However, during joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines, the missile system did not actually launch. The Philippine military has indicated that the missile system may be moved out of the country next month.

In early August, an unnamed Chinese diplomat told the Nikkei newspaper that the prolonged presence of land-based missile launchers in the Indo-Pacific region was causing unease in Beijing.

The “Typhon” missile system is equipped with four units of the MK41 Vertical Launch System, capable of firing anti-ship “Standard-6” missiles and “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, which could potentially disrupt China’s air defense systems in the early stages of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

This marks the first appearance of US intermediate-range missile systems in the first island chain. These missiles have a range of over 2,000 kilometers, reaching the southeastern coast of China, the sensitive areas of the South China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait region. Experts view this move as a way for the US military to demonstrate its military strength in the Indo-Pacific region and deter China.

In February of last year, the US obtained access to four new military bases in the Philippines. These strategic locations provide the US military with forward operating bases to monitor Chinese activities in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. This fills a gap along the Pacific island chain from South Korea and Japan down to Australia.

Currently, the closest US military base to Taiwan is the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, approximately 400 miles away. Therefore, the significance of these new bases in the Philippines, located only about 250 miles from Taiwan, cannot be understated for the US.

China strongly opposes the increased US military deployments in the Indo-Pacific region, including in countries like the Philippines.

Both the US and the Philippines have repeatedly condemned China’s increasingly aggressive actions to assert its claims in the South China Sea. Since last year, there have been intense hostile actions between Chinese coast guard ships and their Philippine counterparts.

Beijing claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, a critical waterway through which over $3 trillion of trade shipping passes annually. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis under international law. However, the Chinese government has refused to accept the ruling.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the South China Sea waterway.