US keeps missile system in Philippines as China tensions rise
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1 of 2 A view of the Typhon missile system at Laoag International
Airport, in Laoag, Philippines, September 18, 2024, in this satellite
image. 2024 Planet Labs Inc./Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo
[1/2]A
view of the Typhon missile system at Laoag International Airport, in
Laoag, Philippines, September 18, 2024, in this satellite image. 2024
Planet Labs Inc./Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights - Summary
- CoNo immediate plan to withdraw U.S. missile system, sources say
- Satellite image shows system in northern Philippines
- Typhon can fire missiles capable of striking China
- China, Russia accuse Washington of fuelling arms race
MANILA,
Sept 19 (Reuters) - The United States has no immediate plans to
withdraw a mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, despite
Chinese demands, and is testing the feasibility of its use in a
regional conflict, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The
Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of
striking Chinese targets, was brought in for joint exercises earlier
this year, both countries said at the time, but has remained there.
The Southeast Asian archipelago, Taiwan's neighbour to the South, is an
important part
of U.S. strategy in Asia and would be an indispensable staging point
for the military to aid Taipei in the event of a Chinese attack.
China
and Russia have condemned the first deployment of the system to the
Indo-Pacific, accusing Washington of fuelling an arms race.
China's foreign ministry said on Thursday it was very concerned about the plan to keep the system in place.
"It
seriously threatens the security of regional countries and intensifies
geopolitical confrontation," ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press
briefing.
The
deployment, some details of which have not been previously reported,
comes as China and U.S. defence treaty ally the Philippines
clash
over parts of the hotly contested South China Sea. Recent months have
brought a series of sea and air confrontations in the strategic
waterway.
Philippine
officials said Filipino and U.S. forces continued to train with the
missile system, which is on the northern island of Luzon, facing the
South China Sea and is close to the Taiwan Strait. They said they were
not aware of immediate plans to return it, even though the joint
exercises end this month.
Locator map of the U.S. Typhon missile system in Laoag, northern Philippines, near the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
A
Philippine army spokesman, Colonel Louie Dema-ala, on Wednesday said
training was ongoing and it was up to Philippine authorities and the
United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) to decide how long the missile
system would stay.
"It
is up to the higher headquarters to decide on its stay, and most
importantly the USARPAC because they own this, it is not our
capability," he told Reuters.
A
public affairs officer for USARPAC said the Philippine army had said
the Typhon could stay beyond September and soldiers trained with it as
recently as last week, engaging "in discussions over employing the
system, with a focus on integrating host nation support."
A
senior Philippine government official and another person familiar with
the matter said the U.S. and the Philippines were testing the
feasibility of using the system there in the event of a conflict and how
well it works in that environment. Both spoke on condition of
anonymity.
The
government official said the Typhon - which is intended to be mobile
and moved as needed - was in the Philippines for a "test on the
feasibility of deploying it in country so that when the need arises, it
could easily be deployed here."
The office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr did not respond to a request for comment.
'SLEEPLESS NIGHTS'
The
U.S army flew the Typhon, which can launch missiles including SM-6
missiles and Tomahawks with a range exceeding 1,600 km (994 miles), to
the Philippines in April in what it called a "historic first" and a
"significant step in our partnership with the Philippines".
A
satellite image taken on Wednesday by Planet Labs, a commercial
satellite firm, and reviewed by Reuters showed the Typhon at the Laoag
International Airport, in Ilocos Norte province.
The senior government official who spoke to Reuters said there were no immediate plans to withdraw it.
"If
ever it will be pulled out, it is because the objective has been
achieved and it may be brought (back) in after all the repairs or the
construction would have been done," the official said, adding that there
was strategic value for the Philippines in keeping the system to deter
China.
"We want to give them sleepless nights."
ANTI-SHIP WEAPONS
The
U.S. has been amassing a variety of anti-ship weapons in Asia, as
Washington attempts to catch up quickly in an Indo-Pacific missile race
in which China has a big lead, Reuters has
reported.
Although
the U.S. military has declined to say how many will be deployed in the
Indo-Pacific region, more than 800 SM-6 missiles are due to be bought in
the next five years, according to government documents outlining
military purchases. Several thousand Tomahawks are already in U.S.
inventories, the documents showed.
China
has denounced the deployment of the Typhon several times, including in
May when Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's defense ministry, said Manila
and Washington had brought “huge risks of war into the region”.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin in June cited the deployment when announcing
his country would resume production of intermediate- and shorter-range
nuclear-capable missiles.
Philippine
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in July assured his Chinese
counterpart the presence of the missile system in his country
posed no threat to China and would not destabilise the region.
China
has fully militarised at least three of several islands it built in the
South China Sea, which it mostly claims in full despite a 2016 arbitral
ruling that backed the Philippines, arming them with anti-ship and
anti-aircraft missiles, the U.S. has said.
China
says its military facilities in the Spratly Islands are purely
defensive, and that it can do what it likes on its territory.
Reporting
by Karen Lema and Poppy McPherson; Additional reporting by Eleanor
Whalley and Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Kim Coghill and Edwina Gibbs