China warned on Tuesday that Washington was “endangering regional peace” in a new deal with the Philippines that would see four additional bases used by US troops, one near the disputed South China Sea and another off Taiwan. is not far.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, “Out of self-interest, the US maintains a zero-sum mentality and continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region.”
“The result will inevitably be an escalation of military tensions and a threat to regional peace and stability,” he said.
Longtime treaty allies Manila and Washington agreed in February to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the Philippines as they counter Beijing’s growing assertiveness over self-ruled Taiwan and China’s build-up of bases in the South China Sea. want to do
The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, gave the US military access to five Philippine bases.
This was later expanded to nine, but the locations of the four new bases were put on hold until Monday while the government consulted local authorities.
The President’s Communications Office said in a statement on Monday that the four sites had been evaluated by the Philippine military and deemed “suitable and mutually beneficial”.