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| U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III, right, poses with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a courtesy call at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, Feb. 2. AP-Yonhap |
The United States and the Philippines announced a deal Thursday to give U.S. troops access to another four bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as the longtime allies seek to counter China's military rise.
The agreement to expand cooperation in "strategic areas of the country" was made during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
It comes as the countries seek to repair ties that were fractured in recent years ― previous Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte favored China over his country's former colonial master, but the new administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has been keen to reverse that.
Beijing's growing assertiveness on Taiwan and its building of bases in the disputed South China Sea have given fresh impetus to Washington and Manila to strengthen their partnership.
Given its proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, the Philippines' cooperation would be key in the event of a conflict with China, which a four-star U.S. Air Force general has warned could happen as early as 2025.
"The Philippines and the United States are proud to announce their plans to accelerate the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the agreement to designate four new Agreed Locations in strategic areas of the country," defense officials said in a joint statement.
Talks were ongoing for a potential fifth base, a senior Philippine official told AFP earlier.
The two countries have a decades-old security alliance that includes a mutual defense treaty and the 2014 EDCA pact, which allows US troops to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those near disputed waters.
It also allows the U.S. military to store defense equipment and supplies on those bases.
The EDCA stalled under Duterte, but Marcos has sought to accelerate its implementation.
Under its expansion, the United States will have access to at least nine military bases across the archipelago.
The new sites have not been publicly identified, but it has been widely reported that most of the new bases will be on the main island of Luzon ― the closest Philippine landmass to Taiwan ― where the US already has access to two locations.
The fourth will reportedly be on the western island of Palawan, facing the Spratly Islands in the hotly contested South China Sea, taking the number of sites there to two.
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| U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, second from left, walks past military guards during his arrival at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on Thursday Feb. 2. AP-Yonhap |
'Key' ally
Ahead of the announcement, Austin met Marcos at the presidential palace, where the Pentagon chief described the Philippines as a "key" U.S. ally.
Austin said the United States would continue to help "build and modernize" the Philippine military's capability and increase interoperability between their forces.
The United States is also seeking to strengthen alliances with other nations to counter China's rapid military advances, including its AUKUS partnership with Australia and Britain.
Australia has agreed to step up the pace of military interactions with the U.S., while Japan is planning to enter joint exercises with both countries.
While Marcos has sought to strike a balance between China and the United States, he has insisted he will not let Beijing trample on Manila's maritime rights.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Wednesday that the Philippines was under "day-to-day pressure from (China) in ways that contravene international law".
The United States aims to ensure "they have the capability to defend their own sovereignty", the official said.
About 500 U.S. military personnel are currently in the Philippines, with others rotating through the country for joint exercises conducted during the year.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored a ruling at The Hague that its claims have no legal basis.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims to parts of the sea.
China also claims self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, to be reclaimed one day, by force if necessary.
"Looking at the location of the proposed sites, it seems pretty clear that these sites are in relation to a Taiwan contingency," said Greg Wyatt of PSA Philippines Consultancy. (AFP)
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