Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered on Friday to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China halts what he called its “aggressive and coercive behavior” in the disputed South China Sea.
The U.S. Army installed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines in April last year to support what the longtime treaty allies described as training for joint combat readiness.
China has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines remove the missile system, saying it was “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”
Asked by reporters about China’s criticism of the missile system, Marcos said he did not understand the Chinese position because the Philippines does not comment on China’s missile systems which “are a thousand times more powerful than what we have.”
“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, and we’ll return the typhoon missiles,” Marcos told reporters in central Cebu province.
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@jet@hackertacks.com
I personally believe this is some sort of political rhetoric. Marcos knows well that China won’t stop its aggression.
@NutinButNet
@Scheisser
Seconded. This makes Marcos look entirely reasonable to other world governments who might offer aid and possibly even to the people of China, if not the government. It’s also important to acknowledge that Grey zone tactics are no longer a new thing the civilized world doesn’t know how to call out and respond to; the fact that he publicly listed his grievances and what is being done in the south China sea and connected those actions to the disputed missiles is powerful.