MANILA, Philippines- Sinabihan ng Tsina ang Pilipinas na nagbabadya ang “greater insecurity” matapos mangako ang Estados Unidos ng $500 million na military assistance sa Manila sa gitna ng tensyon sa West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Inulit ni Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian ang posisyon ng Tsina na ang Estados Unidos “is not a party to the South China Sea (SCS) issue” at walang karapatan na makisawsaw sa maritime issues sa pagitan ng Beijing at Manila.
“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,” ayon kay Lin.
“To seek security assurance from external forces will only lead to greater insecurity and turn oneself into someone else’s chess piece,” dagdag ng opisyal.
Para kay Lin “any actions to resort to bloc politics” at “military confrontation” ay hindi magugustuhan ng mga tao at hindi magtatagumpay.
“Our message for relevant country is that the only proven way to protect one’s own security and keep the region peaceful and stable is to commit oneself to good-neighborliness, return to dialogue and consultation and maintain strategic independence,” giit niya.
Inanunsyo ng Estados Unidos ang $500 million funding para sa military at coast guard ng Pilipinas sa 4th Philippines-US Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue na idinaos sa Maynila.
Sinabi ng Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. na ang military aid ay gagamitin para pagtibayin ang kapasidad ng bansa laban sa “unlawful aggression.”
“The priorities will be laid down in the security sector assistance roadmap. Naturally, a lot of our inherent hardening capabilities are included like cyber capabilities and the like. These and all the EDCA investments will serve to secure the Philippines’ credible deterrent psture,” pahayag ni Teodoro.
“Every peso or dollar spent on hardening Philippine capabilities to defend itself and to deter unlawful aggression will be a plus against any threat actor, whether it be China or anyone,” patuloy niya. Kris Jose
