Metro Manila, Philippines – Beijing on Saturday warned that the United States is “sowing tension” in the Asia Pacific by its continuous involvement in deploying additional military support in the West Philippine Sea.
In a briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Washington-Manila ties should not “target or harm any third party.”
“Stop sowing tension in the region and discord between its countries and stop being the disrupter and provocateur in the South China Sea,” the minister told the US.
“We also call on the Philippines to stop creating instability with US backing, still less seek military confrontation,” he added.
This comes as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscored the Trump administration’s ironclad commitment to the region during his courtesy call in Manila on Friday.
In a joint statement with Defense Secretary “Gibo” Teodoro Jr., Hegseth said the US and the Philippines have agreed to “accelerate” its military ties.
Both nations have agreed to hold bilateral military exercises in Batanes to ramp up cooperation.
Washington and Manila also greenlit the deployment of “additional advanced capabilities” to the Philippines.
The military assets include NMESIS, a land-based anti-ship missile system for the US Marine Corps, and unmanned surface vehicles for the next Balikatan exercises.
Hegseth’s visit comes as Washington exempts $336 million (P19.4 billion) in security assistance to the Philippines from the 90-day aid freeze imposed by US President Donald Trump.
