Beijing’s Warning to US Ally: ‘China Will Not Allow It’

China has warned it would “never allow” the Philippines to go ahead with recently mooted plans to reinforce its military presence in the contested South China Sea. The fiery statement, delivered by Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Wu Qian on Thursday, was a response to Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who announcemed this week that the Southeast Asian country would upgrade nine installations including at Second Thomas Shoal, a hotspot controlled by Manila. Beijing claims ownership over nearly all of the energy-rich sea and its many territorial features—islands, reefs, shoals and rocks. It now regularly blockades Philippine government…