BEIJING: China warned on Tuesday that the US was “endangering regional peace” in a new agreement with the Philippines that will see 4 additional bases be used by US forces, including one close to the disputed South China Sea and another to Taiwan.
Mao Ning, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said that out of self-interest, Washington maintains a zero-sum mentality and is strengthening its military deployment in the region.
She said the result would inevitably be intensified military tension and endangering peace and stability in the region.
Washington and Manila agreed in February to increase cooperation in the Philippines’ strategic areas as they try to counter China’s increasing assertiveness over self-ruled Taiwan and its construction of bases in the disputed South China Sea.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, first signed in 2914, gave US troops access to 5 Philippine bases.
Nine bases
It was later expanded to 9, but the locations of the four new military bases were withheld until this Monday while the government consulted with local authorities.
Presidential Communications Office said that the 4 sites had been assessed by the Philippine forces and deemed “suitable and mutually beneficial.
The US Defense Department confirmed that the locations announced were the 4 new EDCA sites.
The statement also said it would add to the 82 million dollars the US has already allocated in infrastructure investments at the existing EDCA sites. However, it did not specify how much.
Three of these sites are in the northern Philippines, including an airport and naval base in the province of Cagayan and an army camp in the Isabela province, a statement from Manila said.
