Foreign Aff. Min-Presence Of Mid-Range Missiles 'Not Destabilising'

(MNI) London - Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo has been speaking at Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines forum, with some headlines crossing wires regarding relations with China and the situation in the South China Sea.

• Says that the deployment of US-made intermediate-range Typhoon missiles in the Philippines, as part of the April 'Balikatan 2024' military drills is temporary. Claims that the presence of the missiles is 'not destabilising', despite Chinese objections.
• Says that the South China Sea is 'a security challenge to many countries'.
• On the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, Manalo says it has provisions that make it 'quite clear' on what conditions the treaty could be invoked. Adds that 'whether an arrangement can cover other incidents in the South China Sea will depend on the situation.'
• Regarding the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines has had a naval vessel beached since 1999 to claim the islands as part of the country's exclusive economic zone, Manalo says that he expects 'additional resupply missions to have the same incident-free situation as long as parties follow the understanding'.
• Manalo's comments come as tensions between Manila and Beijing ratchet upover the deployment of the Philippines' newest coastguard vessel to the disputed Sabina Shoal. There are concerns that the standoff there could begin to mirror that at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the interception of a Philippine vessel by a Chinese ship in June resulted in injury to several Philippine sailors.