China says US missile deployment to Philippines undermines peace By Reuters
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the U.S. deployment of intermediate-range missiles to the Philippines “undermines peace and stability in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
Speaking to South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in New York on Saturday, Wang also called for avoiding “war or chaos on the Korean Peninsula”, the ministry said in a post on its website.
The US deployed the Typhon system, which can be armed with cruise missiles capable of hitting Chinese targets, this year. China has called for it to be removed, and Russia has joined in criticizing the first deployment of the system in the Indo-Pacific, accusing Washington of fueling an arms race.
Wang said the deployment “is not in the interests of regional countries”.
The Philippines, which is Taiwan's southern neighbor, which Beijing claims as its territory, is an important part of the US strategy in Asia and would be an important place for the military to help Taipei in the event of a Chinese attack.
Wang said that exchanges and cooperation between China and South Korea have become more active this year.
