Philippine president offers deal to China: Stop sea aggression and I'll return missiles to US

MANILA — 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered connected Thursday to region a U.S. rocket strategy from the Philippines if China halts what helium called its "aggressive and coercive behavior" successful the disputed South China Sea.

The U.S. Army installed the Typhon mid-range rocket strategy successful the bluish Philippines successful April past twelvemonth to enactment what the longtime pact allies described arsenic grooming for associated combat readiness.

China has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines region the rocket system, saying it was "inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race."

Asked by reporters astir China's disapproval of the rocket system, Marcos said helium did not recognize the Chinese presumption due to the fact that the Philippines does not remark connected China's rocket systems which "are a 1000 times much almighty than what we have."

"Let's marque a woody with China: Stop claiming our territory, halt harassing our fishermen and fto them person a living, halt ramming our boats, halt h2o cannoning our people, halt firing lasers astatine america and halt your assertive and coercive behavior, and we'll instrumentality the typhoon missiles," Marcos told reporters successful cardinal Cebu province.

"Let them halt everything they're doing and I'll instrumentality each of those," helium said.

Chinese officials did not instantly remark connected the Philippine leader's remarks.

The U.S. Army's mobile Typhon rocket system, which consists of a launcher and astatine slightest 16 Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, was repositioned astir 2 weeks agone from the bluish Philippines to a strategical country nearer the capital, Manila, successful consultation with Philippine defence officials, a elder Philippine authoritative told The Associated Press.

The Philippine official, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of a deficiency of authorization to sermon the delicate contented successful public, said the U.S. rocket strategy is present nearer an country wherever Chinese and Philippine seashore defender and navy forces person been progressive successful progressively tense faceoffs successful the South China Sea.

Tomahawk missiles tin question implicit 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which puts parts of mainland China wrong their range. The rocket strategy volition stay successful the Philippines indefinitely, the Philippine authoritative said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said past week that the Philippines is "creating tensions and antagonism successful the portion and inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race" by allowing the U.S. rocket strategy to beryllium positioned successful its territory.

"This is simply a highly unsafe determination and an highly irresponsible choice," Mao said.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has rejected China's request that the rocket strategy beryllium removed arsenic interference successful Philippine interior affairs.

The U.S. and the Philippines person repeatedly condemned China's progressively assertive actions to property its territorial claims successful the South China Sea, wherever hostilities person flared implicit the past 2 years with repeated clashes betwixt Chinese and Philippine seashore defender forces and accompanying vessels.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan besides person overlapping claims successful the engaged waterway, a cardinal shipping way which is besides believed to beryllium sitting atop ample undersea deposits of state and oil.