China argued there was no issues with freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and urged the United States to stop “instigating ideological confrontation” and “sowing discord” in the region.
“All along, it is the US side that has been indulging its allies in provocations in the South China Sea, and it is the US side that has repeatedly fabricated false propositions about China’s threat to freedom … in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing on Friday.
China also advises the Philippines not to act in accordance with the United States, and not to try to provoke military confrontation, Guo said.
The Philippines is Hegseth’s first stop on a trip to Asia that has been overshadowed by revelations that highly sensitive attack plans against Houthi militants in Yemen were shared on a commercial messaging app that included a journalist.
SPECIAL FORCES EXERCISES
Hegseth sidestepped a question on the sharing of the plan on the Signal app, replying that he was responsible for ensuring the defence department was prepared and ready.
Hegseth said the United States would deploy additional advanced capabilities to the Philippines, including the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and unmanned surface vehicles that he described as “highly capable”.
He said they also agreed to conduct bilateral special forces training operations on the Philippines’ northernmost islands of Batanes, close to Taiwan.
“Our partnership not only continues today, but we are doubling down on that partnership, and our ironclad alliance has never been stronger,” he said.
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