Without warning, the US military was about to withdraw from the medium-range missile system.
According to Agence France-Presse news on July 4, Philippine Army spokesman Louis de Marala said on the same day that the US "Typhon" medium-range missile launch system deployed in the Philippines on the occasion of the US-Philippine joint exercise will be withdrawn and is expected to be returned to the United States in September at the latest.
De Marala's speech was subtle, explaining in one sentence why the United States was allowed to deploy "Typhon" on its territory at that time, while also informing the outside world of the time when "Typhon" would be withdrawn.
In the past two years, there has been an uproar over the US military's deployment of medium-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region. In April this year, when the U.S. military's "Typhon" system "settled" in the northern part of the Philippine island of Luzon, the U.S. military declared the deployment a "milestone" and said it was aimed at "strengthening the Philippines' maritime defense capabilities" and improving the "interoperability" and combat readiness within the U.S.-Philippines alliance.
Judging from the degree of propaganda given by the US military on this matter at the beginning, the US military's plan to deploy "Typhon" in the Philippines was not a short-term process.
The U.S. military said it was to strengthen the Philippine coastal defense, but compared with the tension between China and the Philippines at that time and now, it is clear that the current tension is even more tense. It stands to reason that, according to the Philippine side's thinking, the "support" of "Typhon" should be more needed at this time, and even if "Typhon" will be withdrawn in September, it will not be so "impatient" to announce the withdrawal of "Typhon" in advance.
Shortly before the announcement in the Philippines, two major events took place:
First, on June 28, Putin said that it was necessary for Russia to start producing and deploying short- and medium-range missiles.
As to why Russia intends to do so, a Russian military expert Ampilogo pointed out that the fuse was the deployment of the "Typhon" system by the Americans in the Philippines. The Philippines' permission has brought a greater risk of war to the Asia-Pacific region. Russia has pinned the "pot" of producing and deploying medium-range missiles on the Philippines, and once the situation escalates, the Philippines itself cannot afford to take this responsibility.
Second, on July 2, China and the Philippines held bilateral consultations on the South China Sea issue in Manila.
As we all know, the tension between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea issue has been intensifying recently due to unilateral reasons on the Philippine side. Under such circumstances, it is not easy for China to refrain from insisting on dialogue with the Philippine side. In doing so, China is trying to avoid further misunderstanding and mistrust between the two sides.
During this consultation, in the presence of the Philippine side, the Chinese side made it very thorough and serious. The Chinese side stressed that Ren'ai Jiao is part of the South China Sea and that China has autonomy and jurisdiction over the relevant waters, and urged the Philippines to immediately stop its violations and provocations at sea, abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and properly handle differences through dialogue.
In addition to warning the Philippines, the two sides have reached a number of agreements on the current conflict and established a communication and dialogue mechanism. China and the Philippines believe that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the interests of both China and the Philippines, and that it is also the common goal of regional countries, and agree to continue to maintain dialogue and consultation through BCM and other mechanisms to manage conflicts and differences.
Of course, the change in the direction of the Philippines is also due to China's recent countermeasures against the Philippines' provocative acts.
The dual pressure from China and Russia is enough for the Philippine government to re-examine the risks of the medium-range missile systems deployed by the US military in the Philippines.
It is worth mentioning that after announcing the withdrawal of the "Typhon" system, De Ma Allah also went out of his way to explain that although the Philippine army has been trained in how to use and maintain these missiles, they have not actually been launched during actual military exercises.
Obviously, the current Philippines regards "Typhon" as a hot potato and abandons it quickly.
Whether it is the Philippines or South Korea, allowing the United States to deploy intermediate-range missiles on its territory will never bring about security, but the risk of war. I don't know if South Korea, which saw this scene, will still clamo for the "Typhon" evacuated by the Philippines to return to its own home.