US Troops In Australia - China Wary

Obama made a whirlwind 27-hour visit to Australia, where he and Julia Gillard, the prime minister, announced that from next year 250 marines will be stationed in the Northern Territory, rotating in and out of Darwin for around six months at a time. Over the next few years this will build to a force of 2,500 US personnel.
In the last year the Pentagon has also negotiated wider access to military facilities in Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, prompting fears in Beijing that it is engaged in a policy of encirclement, as well as becoming involved in the row over waters in the South China Sea, which are claimed by several nations.
"The United States is also trying to get involved in a number of regional maritime disputes, some of which concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," a commentary from China's official Xinhua news agency said. More.