Faced with China's reaction, the Philippines speaks out about the US Typhon missile system

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the Typhon missile system in the country is for defensive purposes only and is not aimed at any country.

The US Typhon medium-range missile system was brought to the Philippines last year.

Cebu Daily News on February 1 quoted a statement from the Philippine National Security Council (NSC) saying that the Typhon medium-range missile system in the country "is not aimed against any country."

The statement was issued after China called on the Philippines to "quickly withdraw" the Typhon missile system, following information that the US deployed the missile system at a new location in the Philippines on January 23.

"We want to emphasize that the Typhon missile system is for defensive purposes only and is not aimed at any country," Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement.

“It was deployed to the Philippines for the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercise 2024, solely for the purpose of improving readiness and interoperability with troops and equipment from other countries, including the United States,” Año said.

In addition, Mr. Año said the continued deployment of the Typhon missile system is very important to improve the Philippines' defense capabilities.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. earlier stressed that the missile system was "not aimed at specific countries."

Philippines accuses China of sending 'monster' ship to the East Sea

The Typhon missile system was brought to the country in April 2024 and was first deployed during the Balikatan 2024 exercise, an annual exercise between the Philippine and US militaries with the participation of observers from allied countries.

In an interview with the media on January 30, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was willing to withdraw the missiles from the country if China stopped its aggressive actions in the waters west of the Philippines.

Mr. Año said the statement was "a sincere gesture... that we hope will be reciprocated in the spirit of goodwill and friendship between the two countries," adding that the Philippines "always pursues peaceful and diplomatic measures consistent with the desire to de-escalate tensions" in the sea.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-trung-quoc-phan-ung-philippines-len-tieng-ve-he-thong-ten-lua-typhon-cua-my-185250201092146598.htm