The US is set to expand its access to more Philippine military bases, paving the way for greater American presence in the Asia-Pacific as tensions with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea persist.
(Bloomberg) — The US is set to expand its access to more Philippine military bases, paving the way for greater American presence in the Asia-Pacific as tensions with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea persist.
The two countries plan to “accelerate the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the full agreement to designate four new agreed locations in strategic areas” of the Philippines, according to statements from Manila and Washington.
The four locations were not named. The new sites “will allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges,” the governments said.
The nations also agreed on “the substantial completion of the projects in the existing five agreed locations,” with the US allocating over $82 million toward infrastructure investments at those sites.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is currently in Manila for a meeting with his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez. They are scheduled to hold a joint briefing this afternoon. Austin is the latest of US official to visit after Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have also made official trips to Manila in the past months and assured the Philippines of support.
The US has a seven-decades-old mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, its former colony. The two allies also have a deal allowing the US to rotate troops and build facilities on Philippine bases. Five military bases in the Philippines were selected in 2016 where the US can store defense equipment, refuel aircraft and build facilities.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also sought greater political and economic cooperation with the US after relations were strained under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Early in his presidency, Marcos said he can’t envision his nation’s future without the US. He also recently said that he hopes Washington will maintain its South China Sea presence.
Manila and Washington have warmed ties as China ramps up its presence in the disputed sea. Beijing has maintained that its actions in contested waters are legitimate.
–With assistance from Ditas Lopez.
(Updates with details throughout)
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