BEIJING, August 30. /TASS/. The deployment of US missiles to the Philippines puts regional peace and stability at risk, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing.

"This step by the US and the Philippines has triggered a political confrontation, heightening regional tensions and undermining peace and stability in the region," Lin pointed out.

According to him, Manila needs to take a closer look at Washington's true intentions and not to sacrifice its own security interests. He also called on the US to remove its medium-range missiles from the Philippines as soon as possible.

The US deployed a medium-range missile launcher to the Philippines under the guise of military exercises in the spring. The Philippines and the US signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951. According to ABS-CBN News, Manila and Washington are currently in talks to amend the treaty to meet their present needs.

Tensions between China, Philippines

The South China Sea has recently seen an increasing number of incidents leading to a rise in tensions, with Chinese Coast Guard boats trying to expel any Philippine vessels and several reported ship collisions. China’s Coast Guard often uses water cannons against Philippine ships near the Ayungin and Scarborough shoals.

For decades, China has been engaged in territorial disputes with several countries over claims to certain islands in the South China Sea, on whose shelf significant hydrocarbon reserves were discovered. Those primarily include the Xisha Archipelago (the Paracel Islands) and the islands of Nansha (Spratly) and Huangyan (the Scarborough Shoal), contested by Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.