Shortly after Malacañang named four additional sites that the United States would have access to under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, April 4, warned about “more tensions” in the South China Sea due to the United States’ “zero-sum mentality” that was driven by its increased military presence in the region. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said during her regular press conference that the US has “selfish interests” in the region. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning (Photo from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China) “Facts are very clear that the US has been increasing its military deployment in the region driven by a zero-sum mentality in pursuit of selfish interests,” she added. The Chinese official warned that such an action “would only lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region.” “Regional countries need to think about what is right for the region and mutually beneficial so as to make a choice that serves regional peace and stability as well as their own interests,” Mao said. Her statement came a day after Malacañang identified Camilo Osias Naval Base in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela and Balabac Island in Palawan as four new EDCA sites. Both Isabela and Cagayan face north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has sweeping claims and had built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems. Experts believe that for the US, the sites are strategic for monitoring the activities off the Taiwan Strait and the disputed islands in the South China Sea, where more than $3 trillion worth of international trade passes by annually. Beijing’s and Manila’s overlapping claims in the region have raised tensions in the resource-rich region, putting into question regional stability, freedom of navigation, and freedom of trade. It has also raised concerns globally, with geopolitical experts warning of the region’s potential to become the next military flashpoint. While the 2016 Arbitral Ruling invalidated China’s nine-dash line, the basis of its claim in the region, Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling and continues to question the presence of the United States in the region and the defense agreements entered into by Manila and Washington.