China, the world’s second largest mil­it­ary spender, has warned the Phil­ip­pines of the grow­ing involve­ment of the United States in upscal­ing the cap­ab­il­ity of its armed forces, say­ing the recent announce­ment of Wash­ing­ton’s $500-mil­lion defense investment would "destabilize the region" amid Beijing and Manila's maritime conflict.Lin Jian, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the United States was not part of the South China Sea conflict and that it had “no right to interfere” in the affairs of Beijing and Manila.

Lazaro, J., & Corrales, N. (2024, August 2). China blasts $500-M US investment for PH military upgrade. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A3, A7.