China Warns of ‘Wanton Expansion of Military Alliances’

BEIJING (KI) -- Beijing will oppose the “wanton expansion of military alliances,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday, the latest in a string of warnings as rival Washington deepens security ties in the Asia-Pacific.

China has long warned that any effort to establish a NATO-like military alliance in the Asia-Pacific would only provoke conflict.
It has also suggested that the bloc’s rapid expansion in eastern Europe is partly to blame for the Ukraine war.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital on Tuesday, Wang said China would “oppose the wanton expansion of military alliances and the squeezing of the security space of other countries.”
Wang’s remarks came as he unveiled a broad program laying out Beijing’s foreign policy goals for the coming years.
On Tuesday, the Philippines vowed not to back down after Beijing warned the Southeast Asian nation not to “provoke and cause trouble” in the South China Sea.
The development came a day after Manila cut a floating 300-m (980-ft) barrier installed by Beijing at a shoal, one of Asia’s most contested maritime features, making use of coastguard personnel posing as fishermen in a small boat.
The move, which the Philippines called a “special operation”, could further strain ties that have deteriorated this year.
“They might still return the floating barrier once again, they might still do shadowing and dangerous manouvers once again,” Philippine coastguard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told CNN Philippines.
Earlier he said four Chinese vessels were in the area when a Philippine ship approached and were “not that aggressive”, adding it was clear media were on board the Philippine ship.
He said China’s coastguard had even removed remnants of the severed ball-buoy barrier and had been measured in its response to the presence of its vessel, which reached its closest point to the strategic atoll since China seized it in 2012.
“We have shown the world the Filipino people will not back down and we’re still going to consistently carry out whatever is necessary for us to maintain our presence,” Tarriela said.
The Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing spot about 200 km (124 miles) off the Philippines and within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has been the site of decades of on-off disputes over sovereignty.
China, which calls the rocky outcrop Huangyan Island, has accused the Philippines of “intruding” in what were indisputably Chinese waters. On Tuesday, it warned Manila to steer clear of provocations.
“China firmly upholds the sovereignty and maritime rights of Huangyan Island, and we advise the Philippines side not to provoke and cause trouble,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing.
The Philippines and China have repeatedly sparred over the shoal but tension had ebbed under the previous pro-China administration in Manila.
Ties have soured this year, however, as new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who authorized the cutting of the cordon, seeks to strengthen relations with ally the United States.
Such efforts included giving the U.S. military expanded access to Philippine bases, a move criticized by China as provocative and liable to stoke regional tension.
Vessels of the two countries have faced off several times this year elsewhere in Philippine EEZ.