BEIJING/MANILA: China's defence ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the deployment of a U.S. intermediate range missile system in the northern Philippines during military drills in April, saying it "brought huge risks of war into the region".Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian told a press briefing in Beijing that China remained highly vigilant and opposed the deployment, the first in the Indo-Pacific region."The United States and Philippine practices put the entire region under the fire of the United States (and) brought huge risks of war into the region," Wu said, adding it "seriously undermined" regional peace."Intermediate-range missiles are strategic and offensive weapons with a strong Cold War colour," Wu said.