US in South China Sea Illustration:Liu Rui/GT

In response to the US and the Philippines signing a security agreement that allows the two countries to exchange highly confidential military intelligence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that 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. 

The only right choice for safeguarding national security and regional peace and stability is to uphold good-neighborliness and friendship and maintain strategic independence, Lin said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, signed the legally binding General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in Manila on Monday, AP reported, which claimed that the move is largely in response to China's actions in Asia.

The Department of National Defense in Manila said the agreement aims to ensure the security of classified military information that would be exchanged between the US and the Philippines. It will "allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States," the Philippine defense department said, according to the AP report, while neither side provided more details or released a copy of the agreement.  

The latest agreement suggests that the US and the Philippines have been on fast-track in terms of cooperation in intelligence sharing, interoperability of information systems and situation probing, Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

The signing of the military agreement is a matter for the countries involved, but it should not be aimed at any third party or undermine regional peace, said Ding, noting that however, in light of the resurgence of Cold War mentality, increasing signs of militarization in the Asia Pacific need to be closely watched, Ding stated.  

Echoing Ding's view, Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that after the signing of this agreement, the US will further extend its military intelligence antenna in the region, in particularly, reconnaissance activities targeting China, which the US views as a competitor, will also be boosted.

Under the agreement, the US would also provide the Philippine military access to US satellite and drone surveillance systems, per AP report. 

Additionally, the agreement could embolden the Philippines to engage in more provocative actions at sea, which is a matter of concern for the regional countries, Chen said. 

According to Ding, the military intelligence-sharing deal further integrates US military bases in the Philippines and marine surveillance equipment provided by the US and Japan, "we can predict that Manila will act as a primary information collector for the US in the frontline of engaging with other countries in regions like the South China Sea." 

In 2023, the Philippines granted the US access to four more of its military bases, almost doubling the number included in a defense agreement that seeks to advance a decades-old alliance between them.

The US has been promoting militarization in this region, and the Philippines -  a nation that had fought for its national independence for many decades in history - continues to sacrifice its sovereignty and succumb to US interests now. It's regrettable, Ding said.