China and North Korea have sharply criticized the United States, after an agreement it concluded with the Philippines to open more military bases to US forces, as well as US military exercises with South Korea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman considered that the United States adheres to the zero-sum cold war mentality, and strengthens its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, which leads to increased tension and destabilization of regional peace and stability.
The United States and the Philippines concluded an agreement allowing American soldiers to use 4 additional military bases.
The agreement came with the visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Thursday to Manila, where he held talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about opening more US military bases.
As for Pyongyang, it described the military exercises between Washington and Seoul on the Korean Peninsula as hostile, stressing that it leads to a dangerous red line.
A statement by the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that Austin's promises to publish what he described as US strategic assets, lead to transforming the Korean peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a high-risk war zone.
American rules
On Thursday, the US Secretary of Defense spoke about addressing what he described as destabilizing activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea, and China's continued illegal claims in the West Philippine Sea, he said, noting that the Philippines agreed to grant Washington 4 additional sites in the sea. Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement Framework, bringing the total number of sites to 9.
China is very much anticipating what it sees as a growing arc of US bases in East Asia around it.
In Japan, for example, there is an American military presence since World War II, which is the largest outside the American territories, with more than 50,000 soldiers.
South Korea is also the third largest host of the US military presence after Japan and Germany, and it has the largest Humphreys base in the world, whether in terms of area or number of troops.