Metro Manila, Philippines— China has warned the Philippines that seeking security aid from forces outside the region will lead to destabilization in the South China Sea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry made the statement following the announcement of the United States of a new $500 million funding to boost the country’s defense posture.

“The US is not a party to the issue of the South China Sea and has no right to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines.

“The Philippines needs to see that ganging up with countries outside the region to engage in confrontation in the South China Sea will only destabilize the region and create more tensions,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

“To seek security assurance from external forces will only lead to greater insecurity and turn oneself into someone else’s chess piece,” Lin added.

Beijing adds that maintaining strategic independence is the key to one’s security.

During the 2+2 Philippine-US ministerial dialogue in Manila on Tuesday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken announced the “once in a generation” military aid to the Philippines.

“Our armed forces are working on more shared priorities in more places than ever before. We’re now allocating an additional $500 million in Foreign Military Financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region – new steps to strengthen the alliance,” said Blinken.

Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro said security assistance from Washington will bolster Manila’s sustainability, interoperability.

“We thank the US government for the continued assistance in building up our capabilities, which will provide a tremendous boost in order for us to establish a credible deterrent to unlawful foreign aggression,” he said.

NewsWatch Plus Senior Correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.