China said on Tuesday that U.S. military deployment and regional militarization goes against the common and long-term interests of countries in the region, after the Pentagon said they would base a naval patrol aircraft in Singapore starting this week.
China hopes that all relevant parties will do more to genuinely enhance mutual trust among countries in the region and safeguard the peace and development in the region, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a daily briefing.
She said the overall situation in the South China Sea is peaceful and stable, adding that an overwhelming majority of countries hope for peace, stability, development and prosperity in East Asia.
The U.S. Department of Defense said on Monday that the U.S. had agreed with Singapore on the first deployment of the U.S. P-8 Poseidon spy plane in Singapore this month, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
In a joint statement after a meeting in Washington on Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen welcomed the inaugural deployment of the aircraft in Singapore from Monday to December 14.
The statement said the aircraft's deployment in Singapore would "promote greater interoperability with regional militaries through its participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises."
A U.S. defense official said further deployments in Singapore could be expected. The U.S. already operates P-8s from Japan and the Philippines.
