Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong stressed that the US is currently the biggest military threat in the South China Sea because it is turning the region into “the whirlpool of an arms race.” 

In comments published on Sunday, Sun said, “At present, the biggest security challenge in the South China Sea comes from outside the region,” adding that China intends to resolve territorial disputes with neighboring countries in the South China Sea through dialogue.

Sun further asserted that US-led forces were “promoting military deployment and actions in the South China Sea, inciting and intensifying maritime disputes and contradictions, and damaging the legitimate rights and interests of coastal countries.”

54,000 US military personnel are currently based in Japan, which is already increasing defense to the NATO standard of 2% of GDP by 2027 and claims that China poses the "greatest strategic challenge" to its security, with the DPRK coming in second.

According to the diplomat, the US deploying medium-range missile systems in the area “is dragging the region into the whirlpool of an arms race, placing the entire Asia Pacific region under the shadow of geopolitical conflicts."

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Growing disputes over islands and reefs in the South China Sea have prompted both the Philippines and China to grow their naval assets. Several collisions have been recorded between the two countries' coast guards recently.

The United States has been deeply involved in fostering regional tensions in Southeast Asia, allying itself with the current Philippines government. 

It was announced last month that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) received its first dedicated facility for vessel maintenance and repair from US officials.

The Pentagon and State Department funded the $950,000 Fleet Maintenance and Repair Group Workshop to bolster the PCG's capabilities.

It is worth noting that bilateral relations between China and the Philippines have been in sharp decline, adding to the existing tensions and territorial conflicts, as the US increasingly militarizes the region.