The United States Can Now Access Nine Philippine Military Bases, China: Hazard Of Peace And Stability Of The Region

Mao Ning. (Source: fmprc.gov.cn)

JAKARTA - China criticized the Philippines' move to increase US access to its military base, as a move that jeopardizes regional peace and stability.

The United States will be given access to four more locations based on the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Philippine Defense Minister Carlito Galvez said in a joint press conference at the Philippine military headquarters in Manila.

Additional sites under EDCA allow the United States to now access nine Philippine military bases. Washington has allocated more than 82 million US dollars for infrastructure in existing locations.

In response, China said greater US access to the Philippine military base undermined regional stability and increased tensions.

"This will increase tensions, jeopardize peace and stability in the region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a routine briefing, citing the ministry's official website Thursday, February 2.

Mao Ning said China has a consistent belief that defense and security cooperation between countries must be conducive to regional peace and stability, not targeted or detrimental to the interests of any third party.

"The US side, for its selfish interests, adheres to the zero-sum mentality and continues to strengthen the military deployment in Asia-Pacific," said Mao Ning.

"Regional countries must remain vigilant about this and avoid being used by the US," he said.

As previously reported, an agreement granting wider access to the United States military was announced by Secretary Austin and Galvez.

"Our alliance makes our two democracies safer and helps enforce a free and open Indo-Pacific," Secretary Austin said.

EDCA allows US access to Philippine military bases for joint training, pre-placement of equipment and construction of facilities such as runways, fuel storage to military housing, but not for permanent presence.

Secretary Austin and Galvez did not specify which sites to open for US access. The former Philippine military commander said the United States had requested access to bases on the main northern island of Luzon, the nearby part of the Philippines to Taiwan, and in Palawan in the southwest, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.