Manila plan over missile deployment condemned

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning slammed the Philippines for collaborating with the United States to deploy the Typhon missile system and provoking confrontation in the region, describing the act as "a typical example of harming both others and itself". Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro said in a statement on Tuesday that the deployment of the US' midrange missile assets in the Philippines in the context of joint exercises is completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach, claiming the move aligned with its national interests and independent foreign policy. Mao emphasized that the Typhon medium-range missile system, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, is not a defensive weapon but rather a "strategic and offensive" one. By collaborating with the US to introduce the Typhon, the Philippines is "placing its national security and defense in the hands of others" and "posing a substantial threat to regional peace and security", Mao said.