Philippines says it won’t allow US to use more bases

The Philippines says it has no plans to give the United States greater access to military bases in the Southeast Asian nation, limiting the current total to nine.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told foreign reporters in Manila on Monday that his country’s decision last year to increase the number of sites agreed under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) was a response to China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

The confrontation sparked by China accusing the Philippines of violating territorial waters claimed by China. The deepening dispute between China and the Philippines has created problems for Philippine oil and gas exploration in the region, although the two countries agreed to restart joint exploration discussions.

However, China has previously claimed that the Philippines was “adding fuel to the fire” by allowing the United States access to more bases close to potential flashpoints.

“These are responses to what is happening in the South China Sea and the aggression that we have to deal with,” Marcos said.

Of the four sites recently granted access to by U.S. forces, three face north toward Taiwan, including one near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, an area of ​​high maritime tensions. Beijing believes these locations give the United States a staged advantage in the event of conflict.

At the first trilateral summit last week, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and asked Congress to allocate an additional $128 million for infrastructure projects at the current base. Biden also reiterated his “ironclad” commitment to defending Pacific allies.

Information for this report was provided in part by The Associated Press and Reuters.