Philippines to Remove US Missile System if China Ends 'Coercive Behavior'

President Ferdinand Marcos says his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its 'coercive behavior' in the contested South China Sea. TED ALJIBE / AFP/File
President Ferdinand Marcos says his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its 'coercive behavior' in the contested South China Sea. TED ALJIBE / AFP/File
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Philippines to Remove US Missile System if China Ends 'Coercive Behavior'

President Ferdinand Marcos says his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its 'coercive behavior' in the contested South China Sea. TED ALJIBE / AFP/File
President Ferdinand Marcos says his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its 'coercive behavior' in the contested South China Sea. TED ALJIBE / AFP/File

President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its "aggressive and coercive behavior" in the contested South China Sea and ceases claiming Filipino territory.

The US military deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines last year as part of an annual joint exercise, and Filipino troops have been training with it, with plans to acquire the system as a means to protect Manila's maritime interests.

Beijing's forces have engaged in several confrontations with Philippine vessels in recent months over disputed reefs and waters in the strategically located South China Sea.

The US mid-range weapon system's presence on Philippine soil has angered China, which has warned Manila was "inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race" in the region, said AFP.

"I don't understand the comments on the Typhon missiles. We don't make any comments on their missile systems, and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have," Marcos told reporters Thursday during a visit to the central city of Cebu.

"Let's make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water-cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior," Marcos said.

"If they stop doing all these things, I will return" the Typhon system to the United States, he added.

Manila and Washington are bound by a mutual defense pact, and the recent South China Sea clashes have sparked fears the US military could be drawn into a war with China.

The Philippine military said this week another of its platoons would be trained on using the Typhon system in February, ahead of annual joint drills with key ally the United States.



Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Türkiye on Monday to discuss his country's recent talks with US officials on ending the war in Ukraine, and how Ankara can contribute to the process, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Sunday.

NATO-member Türkiye, which hosted initial negotiations between Russia and Ukraine months after the war began in 2022, "is ready to assume this role in the upcoming period", the source said, requesting anonymity, Reuters reported.

Lavrov's visit coincides with the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The source added that Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan would also discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Syria, where Türkiye will emphasize the need for Syrian territorial unity and the expulsion of terrorists.

US and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh last week to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine, without Kyiv's participation. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The Turkish source said the sides on Monday would discuss steps toward "a just and lasting peace through diplomatic efforts, recent contacts between the US and Russia and the contributions that Türkiye can make to the process".