The military reaction in China over the recent delivery of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles by India to the Philippines was guarded. The Chinese Defense Ministry stated that in the name of security cooperation between the two countries, such cooperation should not harm the interests of any third party and harm regional stability.
The delivery of the BrahMos missiles occurred more than two years after India inked a USD 375 million deal with the Philippines to provide these weapon systems. Addressing media inquiries about this delivery, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Sr. Co. Wu Qian stated, ""China always believes that defence and security cooperation between countries should not harm the interest of any third party and should not harm regional peace and stability."
Simultaneously, Wu censured the United States for its recent deployment of medium-range ballistic missiles, the Typhon system, in the Philippines amid rising tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute. The missiles could have hit targets up to 1,600 kilometers away and had been stationed at northern Luzon, probably as a threat to the Chinese coastline..
"China firmly opposes the US deployment of medium-range ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific. Our position is clear and consistent. The US' move severely threatens the security of regional countries and undermines regional peace and stability," Wu remarked.
"We hope the relevant country could refrain from opening the door to the devil, which will only end up hurting everyone including itself," he said.
In the case of the delivery of BrahMos missiles by India to the Philippines, they were delivered by an Indian Air Force aircraft on April 19, as per a January 2022 agreement. India agreed to deliver three batteries of BrahMos missiles, together with launchers and all the associated equipment as part of the deal, which marks the first export sale of India of the BrahMos missile.
India, seeking deeper defense ties with the Philippines, is marked by growing concerns around the globe about China's ever-growing military aggression in the South China Sea. China lays claim to most of the South China Sea, but countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan claim it.
Indian and US missile shipments coincided with a tense standoff between the Philippine and the Chinese navies in the South China Sea. Manila, which has been backed by the US, has moved to exercise its territorial claims based on a 2016 ruling by a UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which upheld its rights. Beijing has repeatedly rejected the tribunal's findings despite boycotting the proceedings.
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