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China Voiced Alarm Over US Missiles in Philippines

Chinese diplomat reportedly warned US missile system could destabilize region
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Aug 16, 2024 9:00 AM CDT
China Voiced Alarm Over US Missiles in Philippines
In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese Coast Guard ship, right, uses its water cannons on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, as it approaches Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, Dec. 9, 2023.   (Philippine Coast Guard via AP, File)

China has reportedly been rattled by a US mid-range missile system that was deployed to the Philippines in the spring, at least according to Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo. He says the topic came up in a discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Laos.

During a news conference in Manila, Manalo noted that Wang Yi portrayed the situation as "very dramatic" and labeled the US presence as potentially "destabilizing." Manalo countered, insisting the missiles were non-threatening and would soon be removed. The US Army had moved the land-based missile system to the northern Philippines in April for joint combat exercises with Philippine forces, but it was never fired and will may exit the country in September.

China has long been bothered by any US military presence in the region, while the US and the Philippines have repeatedly criticized China's assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea. Tensions here have escalated in the past year among Chinese and Philippine maritime forces. Other nations with overlapping claims in these crucial waters include Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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