Manila, Mar 28 (EFE).- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that Washington will deploy advanced military weapons including anti-ship missiles (NSM) to “re-establish deterrence” against China, amid rising territorial tensions between Manila and Beijing.
“We agreed on the next steps to re-establish, and that’s key, re-establish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific Region. These efforts build on an ongoing USD500-million commitment in foreign military financing and other security assistance to the Philippines’ military modernization,” Hegseth said at a t press conference in Manila with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, during the first of his two-day official visit to the country.
“First, we agreed that the United States will deploy additional advanced capabilities to the Philippines. This includes using the NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) anti-ship missile system and highly capable unmanned surface vehicles in Exercise ‘Balikatan’ this April,” he added.
The US will participate in the Balikatan military drills along with other countries such as Australia and Japan.
A total of 16,000 troops took part in last year’s edition of the exercises.
Hegseth also announced that the US and Philippine special forces will conduct exercises off the northern Batanes Islands at an unannounced date.
Both countries agreed to “prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation.”
The US secretary of defense met with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, in a meeting in which they decided not only to continue the partnership but accelerate its progress.
“It reflects the strength of our ironclad alliance, particularly in the face of communist China’s aggression in the region,” he added.
The Philippines and China maintain a growing sovereignty dispute in the South China Sea, where clashes between ships from both countries have multiplied in recent months.
The US had deployed its Typhon medium-range missile system in April of last year, a weapon that has drawn repeated complaints from Beijing.
For his part, Gilberto affirmed that defense cooperation with the US would ensure the restoration of effective deterrence against influences that affect stability, not only in the Indo-Pacific but throughout the world.
In a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier, Hegseth told him that “deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese.”
The Chinese government on Friday said that “whatever cooperation the US and the Philippines have, it should not target or harm any third party,” in response to Hegseth’s visit to Manila.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that this cooperation “spread accusations about phantom threats to incite confrontation and heighten tensions in the region,” and defended that “freedom of navigation and overflight has never had any problem in the South China Sea.”
“Throughout the years it’s always been the US who has abetted its allies’ provocations, falsely called China a ‘threat’ and claimed that there’s an issue with ‘freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,'” Gao said.
He also accused the US of “deploying more and more military resource to the region and undermining its peace and stability.”
“The US needs to get rid of its Cold War mentality, stop creating ideological confrontation, stop sowing tension in the region and discord between its countries,” the spokesperson added.
He also urged the US to “stop being the disrupter and provocateur in the South China Sea” and the Philippines to stop “creating instability with US backing, still less seek military confrontation.” EFE
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