Philippines to remove US missile system if China ends ‘coercive behaviour’

MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos said on Thursday his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its “aggressive and coercive behaviour” in the contested South China Sea and ceases claiming Filipino territory.

The US military deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines last year as part of an annual joint exercise, and Filipino troops have been training with it, with plans to acquire the system as a means to protect Manila´s maritime interests.

Beijing´s forces have engaged in several confrontations with Philippine vessels in recent months over disputed reefs and waters in the strategically located South China Sea.

The US mid-range weapon system´s presence on Philippine soil has angered China, which has warned Manila was “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race” in the region.

“Let´s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water-cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behaviour,” Marcos said.

“If they stop doing all these things, I will return” the Typhon system to the United States, he added.