DND, AFP concerned over China's recent ballistic missile test

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday expressed concern over China's recent ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, with the DND describing it as a "reckless display of military power."

In a statement, Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the missile test "shows little regard for smaller countries and the fragile ecological systems that sustain their people."

"This launch serves no peaceful purpose and is a calculated act of taunting and provocation against those who reject China's illegal expansionism and coercive conduct," he said.

"The Philippines stands with its Pacific partners in calling on China to act responsibly and stop turning shared seas into arenas of intimidation and imperial ambition," Andolong added.

The United States expressed support for the Philippines on Tuesday after the latter raised concerns over China's recent missile launch, saying Beijing's actions undermine regional stability.

In a statement, US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said the US Embassy shares the Philippines' concerns, echoing the DND's position.

"The ironclad US-Philippine alliance has been a tremendous and transparent source of regional peace and stability for over seven decades," Lipton said.

He added that Beijing's "provocative missile launch" is "further evidence of its rapid and secretive nuclear weapons development program, which runs counter to regional stability and is inconsistent with the pursuit of meaningful arms control discussion."

GMA News Online reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Manila for its comment and will update this story once a response is issued.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, a People's Liberation Army Navy nuclear submarine launched a ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead toward international waters in the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. (0401 GMT).

Meanwhile, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said that while the missile launch was part of China's annual training routine, it has heightened existing regional anxieties.

"The AFP maintains that peace, stability, and adherence to international law must guide all state actions in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

Trinidad also called for transparency, restraint, and an end to actions that escalate tensions.

He reaffirmed the AFP's mandate to protect the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, noting that the anniversary of the Philippines' arbitral victory on July 12 is approaching.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's "nine-dash line" claim, which covers most of the South China Sea.— MCG, GMA News