Philippines drops a Typhon missile gauntlet on China

MANILA – The Philippines and China are staging dueling patrols and exercises this week in the South China Sea, the latest maneuvers in their ever-escalating maritime disputes. But recent moves on land threaten to tilt their tensions to a dangerous new level.

In what could evolve into a Cuban-like missile crisis, Manila recently announced it would “indefinitely” host America’s state-of-the-art Typhon missile systems, a mid-range weapon the US could bring to bear in any conflict with China over Taiwan.

Despite strong opposition by China, and initial denials by Filipino officials, there are rising indications that the Philippine military intends to keep the much-vaunted American missile systems on its soil for the long term, or even “forever”, as military chief Romeo Brawner recently quipped.

As one senior Filipino official bluntly told the media, the Philippine government wants to give China “sleepless nights” by keeping the missile system on its soil.

The Typhon saga began earlier this year ahead of annual Philippine-US joint Balikatan exercises, the biggest ever staged.

In a “historic first”, the Pentagon deployed the newly developed missile system – capable of launching missiles including SM-6 missiles and Tomahawks over 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) – to mark a “significant step in our partnership with the Philippines.”

When China started to criticize the deployment, both American and Filipino officials were quick to downplay the move as a purely logistical exercise. In July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued a strongly worded statement on the issue while accusing Manila and Washington of provoking a regional arms race.

China’s top diplomat reiterated the point during his recent trip to New York for the United