Kinumpirma ni US Defense Secretary Mark Esper na may balak ang Washington na magdeploy ng bagong intermediate-range missiles sa Asia na isang hakbang na posibleng ikagalit ng China.
Ayon kay kay Esper, libre na sila ngayon na ideploy sa Asya ang nasabing weapons, matapos ang withdrawal nito nuong Biyernes mula sa Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty sa Russia.
Sa panayam kay Esper sinabi nito, ” We would like to deploy a capability sooner rather than later, I would prefer months… But these things tend to take longer than you expect.”
Depensa naman ni Esper sa posibleng deployment ng medium-range conventional weapons na hindi dapat ito ikagalit at ika surpresa ng China.
“And I want to say that 80 percent of their inventory is INF range systems. So that should not surprise that we would want to have a like capability,” dagdag pa ni Esper.
Binigyang-diin naman ng US defense chief na walang plano ang Amerika na bumuo ng nuclear-tipped INF range weapons.
“So I don’t see an arms race happening. I do see us taking corrective measures to develop a capability that we need for both the European theatre and this theatre, the Indo-Pac-Com theatre,” wika ni Esper.
Hindi naman tinukoy ni Esper kung saan balak ng US ideploy ang nasabing weapons.
“I would not speculate because those things depend on plans, it’s those things you always discuss with your allies,” ayon sa kalihim.
Inihayag din nito na ang pagiging agresibo ng China sa rehiyon ay nagdudulot ng pangamba sa kaalyadong bansa ng US gaya ng Australia at New Zealand.
Naaalarma din ang mga kapitbahay na bansa ng Beijing dahil sa ginagawang militarisasyon nito sa South China Sea o West Philippine Sea. (AFP)
