Chinese diplomats oppose US military presence in Philippines

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese diplomats have expressed their strong opposition to the expanded U.S. military presence in the Philippines during a closed-door meeting with their Filipino counterparts in Manila, a Filipino official says, underscoring the intense U.S.-China rivalry in the region. The official, who attended the meeting, told the AP about China’s intense objections on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss what transpired in the talks on Thursday. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro led the talks aimed at assessing overall relations amid thorny issues, including Beijing’s alarm over a Philippine decision to allow the U.S. military to expand its presence to a northern region facing the Taiwan Strait.