MANILA, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The Philippines has granted the United States expanded access to its military bases, their defense chiefs said on Thursday, amid growing concern over China’s growing assertiveness in disputed South China Sea and self-rule tensions in Taiwan.
Washington will be given access to four more locations under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Philippines’ Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez said in a joint news conference.
Austin, who was in the Philippines for talks as Washington seeks to expand its national security options as part of efforts to prevent any move by China against self-ruled Taiwan, described the decision as in Manila which is a “big deal” because he and his counterpart. reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the alliance with their countries.
“Our alliance makes both of our democracies more secure and help uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Austin, whose visit follows the trip of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the Philippines in November, which included a stop in Palawan in South China Sea.
Latest Updates
See 2 more stories
“We discussed concrete actions to address the destabilizing activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea, and we remain committed to strengthening our mutual capacity to counter armed attacks,” said Austin.
“That’s just part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. And these efforts are even more important as the People’s Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea,” he added. .
The additional locations under EDCA bring to nine the number of military bases available in the United States, and Washington has announced that it is allocating more than $82 million to infrastructure investments at existing sites.
EDCA allows the US to access military bases in the Philippines for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and construction of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but not a permanent presence.
Austin and Galvez did not say where the new locations would be. The former Philippine military chief said the United States is seeking access to bases on the northern land of Luzon, the closest part of the Philippines to Taiwan, and on the island of Palawan, which faces the disputed Spratly Islands in South China Sea.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
Outside the military headquarters, dozens of protesters opposed to the United States’ continued military presence in the country chanted anti-US slogans and called for the EDCA to be repealed.
Before meeting his counterpart, Austin met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the presidential palace on Thursday, where he assured the Southeast Asian leader, “we are ready to help you in any way we can” .
Relations between the United States and the Philippines, a former colony, have been strained by former Rodrigo Duterte’s overtures to China, his famous anti-US rhetoric and threats to downgrade their military ties.
But Marcos has met with US President Joe Biden twice since his landslide election victory last year and reiterated that he does not see his country’s future without the longtime treaty ally.
“I have always said, for me, the future of the Philippines and for that the Asia Pacific must always involve the United States,” Marcos told Austin.
Reporting by Karen Lema Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
