The Philippines’ defence minister has said Washington’s withdrawal from a key missile treaty with Russia has “triggered a nuclear arms race” and he fears Beijing might target his country if the US were to use it as a staging post in a future atomic war with China.
Delfin Lorenzana’s remarks to the Financial Times mark the most explicit warning yet by an Asian official of the consequences of US president Donald Trump’s February 1 decision to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
“The withdrawal of the US from the INF has triggered a nuclear arms race around the world,” Mr Lorenzana said. “What will prevent other countries from developing their own intercontinental ballistic missiles?”