The Philippines’ military chief has backed the permanent presence of a US missile system north of the nation’s capital for months now, risking anger from China which had branded the weapon deployment as “destabilizing.

Two Philippine officials say that American and Filipino security officials have agreed to keep a U.S. mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines indefinitely to boost deterrance despite China’s expressions of alarm.

The US is considering putting its Mid-Range Capability missile system in Japan months after its deployment in the Philippines earlier this year.

China has called for the Typhon’s removal from the Philippines as it sees the system as a threat in the region, analysts say.