US Typhon missile system in Philippines has China facing ‘more tense security situation’

[MNZGamerX]

US ‘essentially provoking a new cold war in the Asia-Pacific’ with missile deployment and ‘minilateralism’, observer warns



Washington’s plans to retain its Typhon missile system in the Philippines while stepping up defence engagement with other Asia-Pacific allies pose heightened security risks for China, according to analysts.

The mid-range missile system has remained in the Philippines since it was brought in during a joint exercise with American forces in April, as tensions spiked in the South China Sea between rival claimants Beijing and Manila – a US treaty ally.

Washington had no immediate plans to withdraw the system despite demands from Beijing, Reuters reported last week, adding that the US was testing the feasibility of using the system in a regional conflict.

Manila said in July that the system could be withdrawn as early as September, but a top Philippine security official said on Friday that there was no immediate timeline for this.

Zhu Feng, executive dean of Nanjing University’s School of International Studies, said the United States’ moves were reminiscent of the Cold War.

“[The US] is deploying missiles in the Philippines now, and it could possibly [deploy weapons] to [treaty allies] South Korea and Japan in the future, and it is essentially provoking a new cold war in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

The Typhon system, which is stationed on the northern Philippine island of Luzon, can be equipped with cruise missiles to strike targets in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. This is the first time that a mid-range missile system has been stationed in the Asia-Pacific since a 1987 US-Soviet treaty prohibited such deployments.

Beijing has repeatedly demanded the removal of the system. China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the deployment had severely threatened regional security, urging the US to honour its commitment and stop actions that provoke military confrontation.

Separately on Saturday, the US – along with Japan, India and Australia – pledged to expand joint Indian Ocean security operations and increase coastguard cooperation “to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

The joint statement came as leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, met in the US state of Delaware for their fourth in-person summit.

Zhu at Nanjing University said it was important for China and the United States to step up military dialogue, resumed recently after prolonged tensions as the two powers try to manage crisis risks.

The Quad statement on Saturday raised concerns about the situation in the South China Sea and pledged increased coastguard cooperation to launch the first-ever “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission” next year, aiming to “improve interoperability and advance maritime safety”.

“The US has also been engaging in minilateralism to strengthen the isolation and containment of China. China is facing a more tense security situation in the region,” Zhu cautioned.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, also said China could face a serious threat with the Typhon system in place, given that its own missile defence systems still needed improvement.

He said the situation appeared to be more troubling for China, considering the rapid US military deployment in its western Pacific territory of Guam and Japan’s plans to deploy medium- to long-range land-based US weapon systems.

Shi said both China and the US clearly wanted to prevent any military conflict, but Beijing’s hopes that the [Typhon] missile systems would be withdrawn from the Philippines soon were “unrealistic”.

Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, said while it was still uncertain how long the Typhon system would remain in the Philippines, China’s own mid-range missile systems could also offer deterrence.

The missile issue may be raised in the US-China military dialogues, but these might become more complicated as the US boosts its regional alliances, he said.

“There is a clear new factor in the military dialogues between China and the US compared to before, which is the third-party factor that the Biden administration has been pushing to strengthen alliances with other countries.”

 

[MH.Yang]

I think it is necessary for the Chinese government to expand its navy by 200% and its nuclear weapons by 1,000% in order to defend itself against the military threat of the United States.

 

[ety]

and its nuclear weapons by 1,000% in order to defend itself against the military threat of the United States.

At least over 1000 nuke warheads that can reach US mainland.

 

[nang2]

Kind of ominous for the island that is routinely under the threat of typhon, don't you think?

 

[majesticpug]

I think it is necessary for the Chinese government to expand its navy by 200% and its nuclear weapons by 1,000% in order to defend itself against the military threat of the United States.

I have said this for at least two decades long: The only way to make the bully stop his aggression is to punch the bully in the nose and kick his groin.

All these protests were ignored by the Americans. No talk of control or securing the guard rails with the Americans.

 

[ety]

I have said this for at least two decades long: The only way to make the bully stop his aggression is to punch the bully in the nose and kick his groin.

All these protests were ignored by the Americans. No talk of control or securing the guard rails with the Americans.

China has to show to the bully US and its proxies that China has sharp teeth that can cut and strong fists that can punch.

 

[MNZGamerX]

Why China Fears the Typhon Missile System​

The U.S. has deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines in a move aimed at deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. This deployment, reminiscent of Cold War tensions, has sparked concerns of a regional arms race.

by Harrison Kass

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. has deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines in a move aimed at deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. This deployment, reminiscent of Cold War tensions, has sparked concerns of a regional arms race.



-The Typhon system, capable of launching both SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles, provides increased flexibility and mobility for U.S.-Filipino defense strategies. While China criticizes the deployment as destabilizing, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro dismissed these claims, emphasizing his country's right to enhance its defensive capabilities.

-The indefinite deployment of Typhon signals a significant shift in the balance of power in the South China Sea.

U.S. Deploys Typhon Missile System to Philippines Amid China Tensions​

The U.S. has deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines in an aggressive move to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. The decision harkens back the deployment of ICBMs to Turkey, which in turn inspired the Soviet Union to establish missile bases in Cuba, which led to the “quarantine” of the island and the Cuban Missile Crisis – generally considered the closest humankind has ever come to nuclear annihilation.

“Multiple media sources reported that the US will retain its mid-range Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines indefinitely, despite Chinese concerns and the risks of retaliatory escalation,” Asia Times reported.

The Typhon’s deployment is a U.S.-Filipino effort to deter China as Xi Jinping’s regime continues to assert itself in the region, and as tensions rise amid various territorial disputes. China, naturally, has expressed disproval over the Typhon deployment, arguing that the missile’s presence could destabilize the region and prompt an arms race.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro dismissed China’s concerns, stating that China was meddling with Filipino affairs and using “reverse psychology” to prevent the Philippines from enhancing their defensive capabilities.

Teodoro “further criticized China for its military buildup in the South China Sea, where it has fortified islands with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, and called on Beijing to ‘destroy their nuclear arsenal, remove all their ballistic missile capabilities, get out of the West Philippines Sea and get out of Mischief Reef,’” Asia Times reported.

How long will the Typhon remain in the Philippines?

If the Filipinos have their way, the Typhon missile system will remain stationed in the Philippines permanently. The American presence seems to be reassuring to the modestly equipped Filipino military. The Americans meanwhile are eager to deputize regional partners to help contribute to a Chinese containment and deterrence strategy. The Typhon is especially valuable in that it “allows for force dispersion to boost unpredictability to potential adversaries while enhancing survivability and lethality.” Said another way, the Typhon is mobile – it is launched from the back of a truck – and thus harder to track, destroy, or defend against.

The Typhon, also known as the Mid-Range Capability, can fire either the Standard SM-6 or a Tomahawk missile. The SM-6 is an extended-range anti-air warfare missile that can be used against aircraft of all types, or against ships. The SM-6 can also be used to intercept other missiles. In January, the SM-6 was used to shoot down a Houthi-fire anti-ship ballistic missile. The intercept marked the first time the U.S. Department of Defense had acknowledged an SM-6 missile intercept. The better-known Tomahawk, meanwhile, is a medium- to long-range low-altitude missile with diverse capabilities and pinpoint precision.

Both missiles will now potentially be stationed on the Philippine islands, pointed at an anxious China. Will the gambit pay off?

“US strategic ambiguity around the Typhon deployment may simultaneously enable and restrain the Philippines,” Asia Times reported. “On the one hand, the indefinite deployment of the missiles may deter China from further escalation without fully committing the US to the Philippines’ defense…On the other hand, the lack of US explicit permanent deployment guarantees of the missile system may restrain the Philippines from unilaterally asserting its South China Sea territorial claims.”

Why China Fears the Typhon Missile System

The U.S. has deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines in a move aimed at deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. This deployment, reminiscent of Cold War tensions, has sparked concerns of a regional arms race.

nationalinterest.org

 

[Alter_Ego]

I think it is necessary for the Chinese government to expand its navy by 200% and its nuclear weapons by 1,000% in order to defend itself against the military threat of the United States.

Which means increasing the military expenditure by 1% of GDP ?

 

[MNZGamerX]

China opposes U.S. deployment of mid-range-capability missiles in Philippines​

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday reiterated China's firm opposition to the United States' deployment of mid-range capability missiles in the Philippines under the pretext of military exercises.

Responding to a media query, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, urged the U.S. side to address its erroneous actions and deliver on its earlier commitment to withdraw the mid-range capability missile system it has deployed in the Philippines as soon as possible.

The Philippine side should not miscalculate the situation or involve itself in the U.S. agenda, as doing so will only hurt its own interests, Zhang said.

China has abundant tools at its disposal and will take effective countermeasures according to the evolving situation, Zhang added.

China opposes U.S. deployment of mid-range-capability missiles in Philippines

China opposes U.S. deployment of mid-range-capability missiles in Philippines -

english.news.cn

 

[MNZGamerX]

‘Forever’ deployment of US Typhon missile system a poison to Philippines, region

By Global Times
Published: Sep 27, 2024



US and Philippine security officials have agreed to keep the mid-range Typhon missile system, a land-based weapon capable of firing the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, in northern Philippines indefinitely to boost deterrence, according to an AP report on Wednesday, citing two Philippine officials. Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr was quoted as saying he wants US missiles in his country "forever."

Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which could place China within their target range. Obviously, the "forever" deployment of the Typhon system aims at China, experts said, as the US views China as its main competitor in the region and the Philippines keeps flaring up its tensions with China.

Dai Fan, director of the Center for Philippine Studies at Jinan University in South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times that the Typhon system may have a certain deterrence effect against China in small-scale conflicts, however in a larger-scale conflict, its deterrent effect would be very limited against a major military power like China.

Different from its predecessor, the current Philippine administration has demonstrated a tough stance and position toward China on the South China Sea issue through a series of provocations. Therefore, its primary concern is how to gain as much support as possible from its "trusted" ally, the US, rather than how much sovereignty and independence it may have to compromise, or the stability and peace of the region.

"Relying on US' deterrence to gain an upper hand over China in the South China Sea issue is a short-sighted and narrow-minded move by the Philippines," said Dai, noting that the Philippines lacks the ability to think strategically.

The Philippines is situated next to a major power, but adopts a hostile policy toward this major power, pinning its hopes on an external major power to confront its neighbor and "defend" itself. "That's why it has become a tool exploited by the external power to intensify geopolitical competition in the region. In the end, it will end up putting its fate into the hands of the external power, resulting in a loss of its right to self-determination," warned Dai.

Right now, the Philippines believes the US is offering it sweets, but what the US actually provides is toxic, poisoning the Philippines' relations with China and other regional countries as well as undermining regional peace.

In fact, the US is using the Philippines to advance its anti-China agenda in the Indo-Pacific and facilitate its Indo-Pacific Strategy. An article in Asia Times on Thursday entitled "US points Typhon at China from Philippines" bluntly pointed out that "this deployment is part of broader US efforts to strengthen its military posture in the Indo-Pacific."

Sun Xihui, an associate research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that by deploying the Typhon missile system, the US aims to deter China while strengthening its military presence in areas surrounding the country. Additionally, this deployment may embolden and incite its allies to provoke China and foster bloc confrontation in the region. Why is there a rush in the Philippines to sacrifice its own interests in order to serve US goals?

University of Philippines Professor Roland Simbulan, in a previous interview with the Global Times, noted that depending on a foreign power to take care of the Philippines' external defense makes it vulnerable. The Philippine government should heed these rational voices, abandon unrealistic faith in the US, and think twice before acting to turn the country into "cannon fodder" for conflict.

‘Forever’ deployment of US Typhon missile system a poison to Philippines, region - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn