China on Tuesday criticized the staging of ‘Typhon’, the United States’ Strategic Mid-range Fires System, in Japan as part of the ongoing exercise between the two countries.
The Foreign Ministry advised America and Japan to have regard to the demand by regional countries and pull out the Typhon missile system, mounted one week after the Victory Day military parade in Beijing.
At a press conference, spokesperson Lin Jian urged Japan to follow the path of peaceful development, “instead of assisting in villainous acts and further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors.”
The Chinese government declared its strong opposition to the location of the Typhon missile system, a transporter erector launcher, which has most of mainland China within its strike range.
China said that the deployment undermines the security interests of Asian countries, increases the risk of regional arms race and military confrontation, and threatens the safety of the extensive territory.
The Foreign Ministry called on the U.S. and Japan, which deployed Type 12 surface-to-surface missiles, to respect the concerns of other states and play a role that promotes regional peace and stability.
Citing a “history of militarist aggression,” Jian emphasized that Japan’s military and security operations usually draw attention from its Asian partners and the international community.
This year’s Resolute Dragon (RD25), an annual activity being conducted until September 25, focuses on Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations and Cross-Domain Operations in maritime terrain.
The U.S. Marine Corps’ III Marine Expeditionary Force, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Western Army, and other elements of the nations’ armed forces are participating in the drill.
