US-Philippines military bases deal seen as reaction to China’s moves in South China Sea over past decade
- Agreement gives US forces access to four new bases in the Southeast Asian nation
- US defence secretary says China is continuing to advance its ‘illegitimate claims’
The United States is boosting its military presence across Asia, with more troops and assets to be deployed to counter Beijing.
In a breakthrough on Thursday, the US and the Philippines agreed that the US would have access to four new bases in the Southeast Asian nation, adding to the five the US could already use to train servicemen and position equipment under a bilateral defence cooperation pact signed in 2014.
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US to gain expanded access to Philippine military bases in bid to counter China
The locations of the four bases have not been specified, but previous reports suggested the Biden administration would like to have at least two in the north of Luzon Island, roughly 800km (500 miles) south of Taiwan.
Liu Weidong, a Sino-US affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the deal would hamper China’s defences within the first island chain, “and this is also for the US to get better prepared for possible conflicts in the Taiwan Strait”.
The first island chain plays an important role for both the US and China, as Chinese forces have to pass through it to access the wider Pacific. Over the years, Beijing has built up military facilities and deployments inside the chain, triggering concerns among its neighbours.
