InsiderBLM Asia
Four more military bases for US troops will be located in the Philippines, two of which will be close to the South China Sea, which is the subject of intense dispute. The other two bases will be located near Taiwan.
In an effort to counter China’s increasing assertiveness over Taiwan’s self-government and the construction of Chinese bases in the South China Sea, the longtime treaty allies decided in February to increase their cooperation in “strategic areas” of the Philippines.
Five Philippine bases were accessible to US forces thanks to the EDCA, or Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2014.
It was increased to nine, but until Monday, the locations of the four new bases were kept secret while the government consulted with local authorities.
The Presidential Communications Office issued a statement stating that the four sites had been examined by the Philippine military and found to be “suitable and mutually beneficial.”
It stated that during disasters, the bases would also be used for humanitarian and relief efforts.
The four new EDCA sites were indeed located at the four locations announced by the palace, according to the US Department of Defense.
In a statement, it also said it would increase the “$82 million we have already allocated toward infrastructure investments at the existing EDCA sites,” though it did not say by how much.
According to the Philippine statement, three of the locations are in the country’s north, including an army camp in the neighboring province of Isabela and a naval base and airport in Cagayan province.
Taiwan is located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the naval base in Santa Ana, Cagayan.
An air base on Balabac Island, off the southern tip of Palawan Island and close to the South China Sea, will be another location.
Because he feared it would endanger Chinese investment and make his province a target in a conflict over Taiwan, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba publicly opposed the establishment of EDCA sites in his region.
However, Carlito Galvez, the acting defense chief for the Philippines, recently told reporters that the government had already chosen the sites and that Mamba had consented to “abide with the decision.”
The agreement permits the rotation of US troops through the bases as well as the storage of defense supplies and equipment there.
China rejects the agreement
Under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who favored China over the country’s former colonial master, the pact came to a standstill.
But President Ferdinand Marcos, who took over for Duterte in June, adopted a more pro-American foreign policy and worked to hasten the EDCA’s implementation.
Marcos has vowed he won’t stand by and watch as Beijing infringes on Manila’s maritime rights.
Despite having one of the weakest militaries in Asia, the Philippines would be an important ally for the United States in the event of a conflict with China due to its proximity to Taiwan and the waters around it.
The agreement has drawn criticism from Beijing, which recently claimed that it was a result of “US efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country,” according to its embassy in the Philippines.
An inquiry for comments was not immediately answered by the Chinese embassy.
The Philippines and the United States have a protracted and complicated relationship.
Despite having a long-standing agreement on mutual defense, the US presence in the country of Southeast Asia continues to be controversial.
Two significant US military installations in the Philippines were shut down in the early 1990s as a result of rising nationalist sentiment.
Every year, US troops visit the Philippines for joint military drills like Balikatan, which begins next week. The number of soldiers participating will surpass 17,000, making it the biggest one yet.
