Washington DC - As China's capabilities grow, the US and Philippines are reportedly discussing the deployment of additional missile launchers to improve defenses and deterrence in the South China Sea.

Manila's ambassador to Washington on Thursday told the Associated Press (AP) that the US was in discussions about delivering a mid-range land-based missile system called the Typhon to the Philippines.

The move would come amid a stated bid to improve deterrence against aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea, which routinely intimidates Filipino vessels around a number of disputed shoals.

According to Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, the US is considering deploying more Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) missile launchers, which could be used against Chinese ships.

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"This is part of the strong US and Philippines defense partnership," Romualdez told the AP, and said that a possible NMESIS deployment "was being discussed for consideration by both sides."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a diplomatic visit to Manila in March, where he claimed that peace could only be maintained "through strength" and vowed to improve deterrence.

"What we're dealing with right now is many years of deferred maintenance, of weakness, that we need to reestablish strength and deterrence in multiple places around the globe," Hegseth said.

China has been steadily increasing its naval presence in both the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, leading countries in the region to fret over Beijing's increasing military capabilities.

The Philippines has long worried about China's posturing in the South China Sea, where two Chinese vessels collided earlier this week while attempting to intimidate the country's Coast Guard.

Earlier in the year, alarm bells were triggered when China sent two aircraft carriers into the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

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Speaking to Al Jazeera, maritime expert and former US Air Force Colonel Ray Powell called the deployment, which occurred a little east of the Philippines, a "historic" moment.

"No nation except the US has operated dual carrier groups at such distances since [WWII]," Powell said.

"While it will take years for China's still-nascent carrier capabilities to approach that of America's, this wasn’t just a training exercise," Powell warned. "It was China demonstrating it can now contest and even deny US access to crucial sea lanes."