China on Thursday called the United States’ deployment of Typhon missile launchers to a new location in the Philippines, a move that could “provoke geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”

The US military has moved its Typhon launchers — which can fire multipurpose missiles up to thousands of kilometers — from Laoag airfield in the Philippines to another location on the island of Luzon, a senior Philippine government source said on Thursday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular news briefing, said the move was “dangerous” and “extremely irresponsible”.

The Tomahawk cruise missiles in the launchers can hit targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines; the SM-6 missiles it also carries can strike air or sea targets more than 200 km (165 miles) away.

The senior Philippine government source said the redeployment would help determine where and how fast the missile battery could be moved to a new firing position. That mobility is seen as a way to make them more survivable during a conflict.