The Philippines on Monday announced the location of four new military bases that the United States could use, including one near the disputed South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.
The presidential press office said in a statement that the four sites are “suitable and mutually beneficial”.
In early February, during a visit to the Philippines by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the two allies unveiled an agreement to allow US soldiers access to four additional bases located “in strategic areas” of these Southeast Asian countries.
Washington and Manila have been security allies for decades, including through a 2014 defense treaty and pact, known as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows US soldiers access to five Philippine bases but also to store military equipment and materials there.
That number was increased to nine in February but the four additional bases have yet to be located. A Philippine official told AFP at the time that talks were continuing on a possible tenth site.
The statement said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has approved the use of three sites in the northern Philippines, including a naval base and airport in Cagayan province and a camp in neighboring Isabela province.
Santa Ana Naval Base is located in Cagayan Province, about 400 kilometers from Taiwan.
The fourth site will be in the Palac archipelago, off the southern tip of the (western) island of Palawan, near the South China Sea.
The United States seeks to strengthen its relations with Manila, which have soured in recent years. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte preferred to seek refuge in China at the expense of Washington, the former colonizer of the Philippines.
But the new Philippine government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to strengthen its partnership with Washington, spurred on by Beijing’s claims regarding Taiwan and the construction of Chinese bases in the South China Sea.
About 500 American soldiers are currently stationed in the Philippines, and more move within the country in joint exercises throughout the year.
