MANILA – The United States joined the Philippines in raising alarm over the ballistic missile launch of China in the Pacific, describing the act as “provocative.”
In a statement on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said Washington DC shares the Philippines’ concerns about the launch and “remains committed to our oldest security Ally in the region.”
“The ironclad US-Philippine Alliance has been a tremendous and transparent source of regional peace and stability for over seven decades,” he said.
“Beijing's provocative missile launch yesterday 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 discussions.”
In a separate statement, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Thomas Pigott questioned the missile test, saying China's act runs opposite to the prevention of nuclear proliferation.
“We continue to urge China to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regularized notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches consistent with commitments made by all other P5 (Five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council) members,” he said.
China test-launched an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile from a submarine landed in the southern Pacific Ocean on July 6.
The Department of National Defense later labeled the test "a reckless display of military power that shows little regard for smaller countries and the fragile ecological systems that sustain their people." (PNA)
