TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters on Thursday, ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump, that he would return US missiles if China ceased its aggressive and coercive behavior in the South China Sea.

China has repeatedly asked the Philippines to withdraw the US Typhon missile system. However, in September, the US and the Philippines decided to keep the missiles in place, reversing an earlier plan to temporarily keep them there.

"I don't understand the comments on the Typhon missile system,” Marcos told reporters, per Reuters. “We don't make any comments on their missile systems, and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have."

"Let's make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen, and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and I'll return the Typhon missiles," he said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The Typhon missiles were deployed by US forces to the Philippines in April last year during the joint Balikatan military exercises. Reuters reported last week the system’s launchers had been redeployed to an undisclosed location in the Philippines.

In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague sided with the Philippines and ruled China's claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis. China rejected the ruling, as did Taiwan.

Taiwan claims all the territories in the South China Sea claimed by China, but only controls Taiping Island, the Dongsha Islands, and Zhongzhou Reef. Taiwan’s claims are not recognized internationally.

All of the islands Taiwan claims or controls are also claimed by either the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, or some combination thereof.