The US Army said in April it had deployed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines for annual joint military exercises, but did not pull it out after the war games. The two countries are bound by a mutual defence pact.

American and Filipino security officials have decided to keep the US mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines indefinitely, despite China's objections. The move aims to bolster regional deterrence.

The US Army transported the Typhon missile system, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of combat exercises in April with Philippine troops and to test its deployability aboard an Air Force aircraft.

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.