China cautions US, PH on military intel pact
CHINA has reminded the United States and the Philippines that the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) that they signed should not be aimed at any third party. In a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, Lin Jian, the spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the agreement should not target China or any other nation. "No military agreement, or defense and security cooperation, in whatever form, should target any third party or harm the interests of any third party. Nor should it undermine regional peace or exacerbate regional tensions," Lin said during his regular press briefing in Beijing. Safeguarding national security and regional peace and stability is the only right choice to uphold good neighborliness and friendship, and maintain strategic independence, he said. The pact, signed on Nov. 18 by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and visiting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Commissioned Officers' Club. It provides the framework for exchanging and sharing classified military information between the two allies. The agreement enables the Philippines to access advanced military capabilities and significant resources from the US, and it supports the pursuit of similar agreements with other like-minded nations. China had earlier protested the Maritime Zones Law and the Archipelago Sea Lanes Law signed recently by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Beijing asked Manila to respect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, immediately stop taking unilateral actions that may expand disputes and complicate the situation, and earnestly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. The longstanding dispute between China and the Philippines has intensified in recent years. In 2015, an arbitral tribunal rejected China's expansive claim over the South China Sea in a case filed by the Philippines. China, however, refuses to honor the ruling. The Chinese coast guard and maritime militia have become more aggressive in intimidating Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea, resulting in several incidents.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
CHINA has reminded the United States and the Philippines that the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) that they signed should not be aimed at any third party.
In a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, Lin Jian, the spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the agreement should not target China or any other nation.
"No military agreement, or defense and security cooperation, in whatever form, should target any third party or harm the interests of any third party. Nor should it undermine regional peace or exacerbate regional tensions," Lin said during his regular press briefing in Beijing.
Safeguarding national security and regional peace and stability is the only right choice to uphold good neighborliness and friendship, and maintain strategic independence, he said.
The pact, signed on Nov. 18 by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and visiting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Commissioned Officers' Club.
It provides the framework for exchanging and sharing classified military information between the two allies.
The agreement enables the Philippines to access advanced military capabilities and significant resources from the US, and it supports the pursuit of similar agreements with other like-minded nations.
China had earlier protested the Maritime Zones Law and the Archipelago Sea Lanes Law signed recently by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Beijing asked Manila to respect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, immediately stop taking unilateral actions that may expand disputes and complicate the situation, and earnestly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The longstanding dispute between China and the Philippines has intensified in recent years.
In 2015, an arbitral tribunal rejected China's expansive claim over the South China Sea in a case filed by the Philippines. China, however, refuses to honor the ruling.
The Chinese coast guard and maritime militia have become more aggressive in intimidating Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea, resulting in several incidents.
