China warns US against building ammunition facility in Philippines

BEIJING, China — China warned the United States on Thursday against bringing "conflict and the chaos of war" to the Asia-Pacific, after Washington and its allies said they would weigh building a weapons base in the Philippines.

A US-led intergovernmental defence group agreed last week to assess funding for a new ammunition assembly and production line in the Philippines, according to a joint statement.

The decision was made by the 16 members of the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR), which also includes Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

China's foreign ministry warned on Thursday that a potential ammunition facility would destabilise the region and "backfire".

"The US and its allies should earnestly respect the common aspirations of regional countries... and refrain from introducing bloc confrontation, conflict and the chaos of war into the Asia-Pacific," ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.

"If the relevant country is willing to be a powder keg and ammunition depot, it will only backfire on itself," he said, when asked about the potential new facility.

Beijing and Manila have clashed frequently in recent years over disputed territories in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly the entirety of the crucial waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Lin added on Thursday that Beijing would "firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and security interests".