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The Philippines said on Monday it plans to purchase the US Typhon missile system as part of an effort to safeguard its maritime interests, prompting warnings from China of a regional “arms race”.
The US military deployed the intermediate-range missile system in the northern Philippines earlier this year for annual joint military exercises with its longtime ally and decided to leave it there despite criticism from Beijing that it would be destabilizing to Asia.
Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Roy Galido told a news conference on Monday that the missile system would be acquired “because we see its feasibility and functionality in our concept of archipelago defense implementation.”
“I am pleased to report to our compatriots that your military is developing this capability in the interest of protecting our sovereignty,” he said, adding that the overall cost of the acquisition would depend on “the economy.”
The presence of the US missile launcher had angered Beijing, where naval and coast guard forces have engaged in escalating clashes with the Philippines in recent months over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key global shipping route, despite an international ruling that its claim has no legal basis.
Manila and Washington, longtime allies of the treaty, have deepened their agreement defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.
The US does not claim the South China Sea, but has warned that it does obliged to defend the Philippines if its forces are attacked there, and has declared that freedom of navigation is among its core national interests.
And on Monday, China quickly condemned the decision to take over the system as a “provocative and dangerous move” and warned it risked sparking an “arms race.”
“It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history of our own people and the people of Southeast Asia, but also for regional security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.
“The region needs peace and prosperity, not missiles and confrontation,” she added, urging Manila to “correct its wrong practices as soon as possible.”
As a rule, it takes at least two years or more for the Philippine military to procure a new weapons system from the planning stage, Galido said on Monday, adding that it had not yet been included in the 2025 budget.
Last year, it took five years for Manila to receive the BrahMos cruise missile, he added.
Developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army, the land-based Typhon “mid-range capability” missile launcher has a range of 300 miles, although a longer-range version is in development.
Galido said the Typhon system would allow the military to project “power” outward up to 200 nautical miles, which is the limit of the archipelago’s maritime rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea .
“You have to take into account the fact that there is no land for 200 nautical miles and the army cannot go there,” he said.
The Typhon platform “will protect our floating assets,” he said, a reference to Philippine Navy, Coast Guard and other ships.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun warned in June that the deployment of the Typhon “seriously damaged regional security and stability.”
But Galido dismissed criticism of the Typhon system in the Philippines.
“We should not worry about the apparent insecurities of others because we have no plans to step outside the interests of our country,” he said.
