China Expresses Alarm Over US Missile Deployment in the Philippines

Overview

• China's Foreign Secretary Wang Yi conveyed concerns over the US mid-range missile system in the Philippines.
• Philippines' top diplomat Enrique Manalo described China's reaction as 'very dramatic' but reassured the deployment is temporary.
• The missile system, capable of firing Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, was part of joint US-Philippines exercises.
• China views the deployment as potentially destabilizing to regional security, while the US and Philippines see it as enhancing defense capabilities.
• The US and its allies have criticized China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.