Alwaght- China has blamed the United States for “sabotaging regional peace” after the Pentagon chief announced a military buildup in the Philippines, disputing Chinese territorial claims.
In a provocative move, Ash Carter said he will visit an aircraft carrier in the disputed region.
Speaking in the Philippines on Thursday, Carter said the US will keep nearly 300 troops, including Air Force commandos in the Philippines through the end of the month, despite completing the joint military drills.
He added that US troops will have combat aircraft and helicopters at their disposal. He also announced he will visit the USS John C. Stennis when it sails through the disputed waters of the Chinese Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.
Carter’s remarks, once again produced strong criticism in Beijing, which has repeatedly warned against US interference in the region.
“Military exchanges by relevant countries should not target third parties, much less support a few countries in challenging China's sovereignty and security, inciting regional contradictions and sabotaging regional peace and stability,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement in response to Carter's announcement,
The islands in the South China Sea, rich in deposits of natural resources are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US Navy is actively opposing Chinese sovereignty over the Islands by deploying additional warships to the disputed zone and conducting maneuvers in near the Chinese artificial islands and flying over them, citing the “freedom of navigation "principle as an excuse.
In October 2015, a US Navy destroyer, the USS Lassen, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi reef to deliberately challenge China’s sovereignty of territorial waters there, prompting Chinese patrol boats to issue a warning that further “provocative actions” might lead to accelerated Chinese construction in the area.
China has said it is determined and able to continue to safeguard its justified rights and interests of the Nansha Islands by legitimate means.
