US to send more missile launchers to the Philippines despite China’s alarm

The United States plans to deploy more high-tech missile systems to the Philippines to help deter aggression in the South China Sea , where the treaty allies on Tuesday condemned what they called China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities.”

Beijing has repeatedly expressed alarm over the installation in the northern Philippines of a U.S. mid-range missile system called the Typhon in 2024 and of an anti-ship missile launcher last year. It said the U.S. weapons were aimed at containing China’s rise and warned that these were a threat to regional stability.

China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have rejected the demand.

U.S. and Philippine officials held annual talks Monday in Manila on broadening security, political and economic engagements and boosting collaboration with regional security allies.

The U.S. and the Philippines outlined in a joint statement Tuesday specific defense and security plans for this year, including joint military exercises, Washington’s support to help modernize the Philippine military and efforts “to increase deployments of U.S. cutting-edge missile and unmanned systems to the Philippines.”

The longtime allies “underscored their support for preserving freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce and other lawful uses of the sea for all nations,” the statement said.

“Both sides condemned China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities in the South China Sea, recognizing their adverse effects on regional peace and stability and the economies of the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” it added.

Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces have spiked in the disputed waters in recent years. Vietnam , Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the territorial standoffs.

Neither side elaborated on the planned missile deployments but Philippine ambassador to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez, who took part in Monday’s talks, said U.S. and Filipino defense officials discussed the possible deployment this year of “upgraded” types of U.S. missile launchers that the Philippines may eventually decide to purchase.

“It’s a kind of system that’s really very sophisticated and will be deployed here in the hope that, down the road, we will be able to get our own,” Romualdez told The Associated Press.

The Typhon missile system that the U.S. Army deployed to the main northern Philippine region of Luzon in April 2024 and an anti-missile launcher called the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System that was deployed in April last year also to Luzon have remained in the Philippines, Romualdez said.

During joint drills, U.S. forces have exhibited the missile systems to batches of Filipino forces to familiarize them with the weapons’ capabilities and usage, military officials said.

Romualdez said the U.S. missile deployments to the Philippines did not aim to antagonize any country.

“It’s purely for deterrence,” he said. “Every time the Chinese show any kind of aggression, it only strengthens our resolve to have these types.”

The Typhon missile launchers, a land-based weapon, can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which places China within their target range, from the northern Philippine region of Luzon.

Last year, U.S. Marines deployed the anti-ship missile launcher, the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, to Batan island in the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, which faces the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan.

The sea passage is a critical trade and military route that the U.S. and Chinese militaries have tried to gain strategic control of.

美国计划向菲律宾部署更多高科技导弹系统，以帮助遏制南海地区的侵略行为。周二，条约盟国谴责了他们所谓的中国在南海的“非法、胁迫、侵略和欺骗性活动”。

北京方面多次对美国计划于2024年在菲律宾北部部署名为“台风”（Typhon）的中程导弹系统以及去年部署反舰导弹发射装置表示担忧。北京方面称，美国部署这些武器旨在遏制中国的崛起，并警告称这将威胁地区稳定。

中国要求菲律宾从其领土上撤回导弹发射器，但以总统费迪南德·马科斯为首的官员拒绝了这一要求。

美国和菲律宾官员周一在马尼拉举行年度会谈，讨论扩大安全、政治和经济合作，并加强与地区安全盟友的合作。

美国和菲律宾周二在一份联合声明中概述了今年的具体国防和安全计划，包括联合军事演习、华盛顿支持菲律宾军队现代化以及“增加向菲律宾部署美国尖端导弹和无人系统”的努力。

声明称，这些长期盟友“强调支持维护所有国家航行和飞越自由、不受阻碍的合法商业以及其他合法的海洋用途”。

声明还表示：“双方谴责中国在南海的非法、胁迫、侵略和欺骗行为，认识到这些行为对地区和平稳定以及印太地区乃至更广泛地区的经济造成了不利影响。”

近年来，中国和菲律宾海警在争议水域的冲突急剧升级。越南、马来西亚、文莱和台湾也卷入了领土争端。

双方均未详细说明导弹部署计划，但参加了周一会谈的菲律宾驻华盛顿大使何塞·曼努埃尔·罗穆亚尔德斯表示，美国和菲律宾国防官员讨论了今年可能部署菲律宾最终可能决定购买的“升级版”美国导弹发射器的可能性。

罗穆亚尔德斯告诉美联社：“这是一种非常复杂的系统，我们将在这里部署该系统，希望将来我们能够拥有自己的系统。”

罗穆亚尔德斯说，美国陆军于 2024 年 4 月部署到菲律宾北部主要地区吕宋岛的“台风”导弹系统，以及去年 4 月也部署到吕宋岛的名为“海军陆战队远征舰拦截系统”的反导发射器，目前仍留在菲律宾。

军方官员表示，在联合演习期间，美军向分批菲律宾部队展示了导弹系统，以使他们熟悉这些武器的性能和使用方法。

罗穆亚尔德斯表示，美国向菲律宾部署导弹的目的并非与任何国家对抗。

“这纯粹是为了威慑，”他说。“中国每次表现出任何形式的侵略性，只会更加坚定我们拥有这类武器的决心。”

“台风”导弹发射器是一种陆基武器，可以发射“标准-6”导弹和“战斧”陆攻导弹。“战斧”导弹射程超过1600公里（1000英里），这意味着从菲律宾北部吕宋岛地区发射的导弹可以覆盖中国的目标区域。

去年，美国海军陆战队将反舰导弹发射器——海军陆战队远征舰拦截系统——部署到菲律宾最北端的巴丹群岛省的巴丹岛，该岛面向台湾以南的巴士海峡。

这条海上通道是重要的贸易和军事路线，美国和中国军队都曾试图对其形成战略控制。