Beijing questioned the recent US-Philippine agreement allowing the US military the use of five Philippine bases known as Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), saying the deal was an obvious move of Washington to militarize the South China Sea region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the the deal should not jeopardize other nations' security interests and sovereignty and not be targeted at any third party.

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"I also want to point out that recently, the US military likes to talk about the so-called militarization of the South China Sea," Hua said. 

Military capabilities

"Can they then explain, isn't this kind of continued strengthening of military deployments in the South China Sea and areas surrounding it considered militarization?" she asked.

Reports said that the US is boosting the East Asian countries' military capabilities as a way of standing up to China's alleged militarization of the region. Add to this, Washington has been busy making its presence felt  in the region through its freedom of navigation principle.

The US and its regional allies have criticized China for its assertive pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea region following its construction of airfields and other military facilities.

Planes for rent

Neighboring countries, which have rival claims in the region, have raised concern about China's alleged militarization of the disputed areas and turned to the US for military support.

The Philippines and Japan recently entered into an agreement whereby the former will rent planes from Tokyo that will be used to patrol its territories in the disputed waters in the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entirety of the oil and gas-rich South China Sea, where $5 trillion worth of trade-borne ships pass through every year.

Freedom of navigation

Neighbors such as Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the disputed international waterway.

The US said it is not taking sides among the claimant countries but only wants to ensure that freedom of navigation in the seas will be upheld.

Two of its allies, Malaysia and Australia, have called for freedom of navigation to be exercised in the South China Sea. The US said it will send more ships to the region as a way of showing that the freedom of navigation in the seas will continue despite concerns raised by China.

"We've been extremely consistent in saying that our activities will continue, that we will send our ships and our planes to that part of the world as we require, as it is necessary in accordance to international law," Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said on Monday.

TagsSouth China Sea, Philippines, US-PHL military bases agreement, Freedom of Navigation, Malaysia, Australia, china