China recently voiced serious concerns to the Philippines over the temporary deployment of a U.S. mid-range missile system, labeling the action as potentially destabilizing for the region.
During a meeting in Laos Friday alongside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed these apprehensions to his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo.
Manalo, addressing the media in Manila, recounted the exchange, noting the dramatic tone of the Chinese protest but reassuring that the missile system’s presence in the Philippines was merely temporary and not intended to provoke regional instability.
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“We discussed it and, well, they made it very dramatic,” Manalo said in response to questions during a news conference with foreign correspondents in Manila. “I said you shouldn’t be worried.”
According to the Military Times, the U.S. had transferred this missile system, capable of launching Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, to the northern Philippines for joint military exercises with Philippine forces.
“They’re not destabilizing,” and the missile system was only in the Philippines temporarily, Manalo said he told Wang.
Although part of combat exercises, the system was not operationalized during drills and is expected to be moved out of the country shortly.
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The deployment comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, with the U.S. and Philippines critiquing China’s aggressive maneuvers to enforce its territorial claims. This strategic maritime zone, which also involves Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, remains a focal point of international diplomatic and security concerns.
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