BEIJING: A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday denounced the deployment of a mid-range missile system by the United States in the Philippines, saying the moves of the two countries have put the whole Asia-Pacific region under the threat of U.S. weaponry.
“The Chinese side is highly vigilant against and firmly opposed to this,” said spokesperson Wu Qian in response to a media query regarding the deployment of the U.S. Typhon Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines under the excuse of military exercises.
Wu noted that it is the first time the U.S. has deployed a mid-range missile system overseas and in the Asia-Pacific since the end of the Cold War.
What the U.S. and the Philippines did has caused a great risk of war and will seriously impact the security architecture and undermine peace and stability in the region, said Wu.
Noting the mid-range missile system is a strategic and offensive weapon reminiscent of the Cold War, he said the U.S. attempts to turn back the wheel of history, provokes bloc confrontation, strengthens military alliances and squeezes the security space of other countries. This will break the strategic balance in the region and create new tension and antagonism, he added.
Wu said that the Philippines chooses to tie itself onto the U.S. chariot, which severely deviates from the guiding principles for ASEAN countries.
By doing so, the Philippines also severely undercuts the principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and undermines the ASEAN-led architecture of regional cooperation.
“Those who invite wolves into their house will get bitten, and those who pull chestnuts out of the fire for others can only get themselves burned,” said Wu, urging the U.S. and the Philippines to respect the security concerns of regional countries and immediately stop such dangerous acts.
