China angered by U.S.-Manila deal on military bases
STORY: The U.S. and the Philippines on Thursday announced American forces will gain access to four new military bases in the Pacific island nation, expanding a staging ground as Washington seeks to counter China in region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila met his Philippine counterpart and hailed the agreement as a
significant security measure.
“We discussed concrete actions to address destabilising activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea. And we remain committed to strengthening our mutual capacities to resist armed attack.”.
It comes amid mounting concern over China's increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tensions over self-ruled Taiwan.
A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry on Thursday countered that America was to blame for rising tensions in region, and said American access to Philippine bases "hurts regional peace and stability."
America has been flexing its Pacific military might - last month American f-18 hornets roared off the deck of the the U.S.S. Nimitz as the aircraft carrier navigated through the South China Seas.
Austin's visit to the Philippines follows a trip to key ally South Korea. This week American and South Korean forces staged joint military drills featuring heavy bombers and stealth fighters.
Those drills provoked a furious condemnation from Pyongyang.
North Korea on Thursday said American drill in the region reached an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone."
Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. It was also observed reopening its shuttered nuclear weapons test site, raising expectations of a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.
Asked about the North Korean warnings, Austin said the U.S. would stand by its ally, Seoul.
“We remain committed to our extended deterrence commitment, and we're very serious about that when it comes to the ROK (Republic of Korea). And we will continue to work alongside our allies and train and ensure that we maintain credible and ready forces.”
相關影片推薦
- 1:11直擊漢莎航空班機「觸地重飛」重重落地即刻拉升超驚險Yahoo奇摩(國際通)29,448 次觀看・20 小時前
- 1:42離譜! 處方箋出現不雅字眼 基隆醫院發聲明道歉民視影音104,972 次觀看・12 小時前
- 1:52民眾抗議"藍封殺提案" 卻遭張智倫辦公室主任"掛電話"民視影音27,221 次觀看・16 小時前
- 2:16「無聊手機」亮相 不能上網助青年「數位排毒」Yahoo奇摩(國際通)28,783 次觀看・20 小時前
- 1:11林志穎、郝劭文30年後再度同框 網友驚嘆時光靜止「他吃防腐劑長大」娛樂星聞8,048 次觀看・17 小時前
- 2:14比利時男子患罕病「自動釀酒症候群」身體自產酒精 酒駕獲判無罪Yahoo奇摩(國際通)34,167 次觀看・22 小時前
- 2:35西門町60年大樓外牆裝倒V鋼架 專家:防震關鍵華視影音49,338 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:39龍德造船製"不倒翁船"360度翻轉扶正 被讚台灣之光民視影音54,640 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:52403強震台積電損失30億 科技廠抗震方法曝光民視影音15,703 次觀看・6 小時前
- 2:08奧運前巴黎警方掃蕩移民 數百人被送郊區、援助組織批「社會清洗」Yahoo奇摩(國際通)37,154 次觀看・1 天前