MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ defence minister on Tuesday justified the country’s deployment of a U.S. medium-range missile system and plans to acquire its own, despite opposition from China, a longstanding rival in the South China Sea.
“Any deployment and procurement of assets related to the Philippines’ security and defence fall within its own sovereign prerogative and are not subject to any foreign veto,” minister Gilberto Teodoro said in a statement.
The deployment of the Typhon missile assets for joint exercises was “legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach,” he added.
There is a plan to acquire a missile system with mid-range capability, Philippine army chief Roy Galido said on Monday, adding “there are negotiations because we see its feasibility and adaptability.”
Reuters reported in September the United States had no immediate plan to withdraw the Typhon missile system from the Philippines and was testing the feasibility of its use in a regional conflict, which China said risked causing a geopolitical confrontation.
China on Monday reiterated it firmly opposes its deployment.
It urged the Philippines to “quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference on Monday.
The Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of striking Chinese targets, was brought in for joint exercises earlier this year.
Tensions have risen in the past few years between China and the Philippines over disputed territory in the South China Sea, heightened by a strengthening of defence ties between treaty allies Manila and Washington.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty)
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