China says a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions. A senior Philippines army official told reporters that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the country’s territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea. The U.S. deployed its Typhon midrange missile system in the northern Philippines in April. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that deployment of the weapon by the Philippines would intensify geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.
