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Marcos to China: 'Let's make a deal'

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday told China that he would return the Typhon missile system to the United States only if it stopped harassing Filipino vessels and claiming territory in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos issued the statement after China urged the Philippine government to pull out the missile launchers after they were reportedly moved to another area in Luzon.

In a media interview in Lapu-Lapu City, Marcos said he did not understand why China opposed the Philippines' use of the Typhon missile system when it has even more powerful weapons.

«Well, I don't understand the comments on the Typhon missile system. We don't make any comments on their missile systems, and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have. So I don't understand,» Marcos told reporters.

The president said he would only send back the US Typhon missile system if China stopped harassing Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea.

«You know, let's make a deal with China — stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water-cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and I'll return the Typhon missiles,» he said.

«Stop all their aggressive acts, and I'll take back everything,» the president added.

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The Typhon mid-range capability surface-to-surface missile launchers arrived in the country in April 2024 and were last known to be stationed somewhere in Ilocos Norte, a coastal province facing Taiwan.

Reports said the US military has redeployed the launchers to an undisclosed location on Luzon.

Philippine military officials said they would train on the missile system in February, and expressed the country's intent to obtain Typhon launchers to bolster its defense capabilities.

The land-based Typhon missile launcher, developed by US firm Lockheed Martin, reportedly has a range of 480 kilometers, though a longer-range version is in development.

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It can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometers such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines. The

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