BEIJING, May 30 -- "We urge the US and the Philippines to respect the security concerns of regional countries and immediately stop these dangerous acts," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on Thursday.
It is reported that the US military recently deployed the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system to the Philippines for joint exercises. Some analysts believe that this is an important part of the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and is obviously targeted at China.
When being asked to comment on that, the spokesperson stated that, the US's recent deployment of the MRC missile system to the Philippines under the excuse of military exercises is the first time that the US has deployed an MRC missile system overseas and to the Asia-Pacific since the end of the Cold War. It's also the first time that the US has deployed such kind of weapon since its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019.
The moves of the US and the Philippines have put the whole Asia-Pacific region under the threat of US weaponry, caused great risk of war and will seriously impact the security architecture and undermine peace and stability in the region. "The Chinese side is highly vigilant against and firmly opposed to that," said Snr. Col. Wu.
The MRC missile system is a strategic and offensive weapon, reminiscent of the Cold War. The US attempts to turn back the wheel of history, provokes bloc confrontation, strengthens military alliance, and squeezes the security space of other countries. This will break strategic balance in the region and create new tension and antagonism.
The Philippines chooses to tie itself onto the US chariot, which severely deviates from the guiding principles for ASEAN countries, severely violates the spirit of the ASEAN Charter, severely undercuts the principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and undermines the ASEAN-led architecture of regional cooperation, said the spokesperson.
"Those who invite wolves into their house will get bitten and those who pull chestnuts out of fire for others can only get themselves burnt," said Snr. Col. Wu.