Philippines says it will not give US access to more local military bases - ExBulletin
Source: ExBulletin
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine president said Monday his administration has no plans to give the United States access to more Philippine military bases and stressed that the U.S. military presence in several camps and sites so far has been triggered by China's aggressive actions in the conflict. South China Sea.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022, authorized U.S. forces and weapons access to four additional Philippine military bases, bringing to nine the number of sites where U.S. troops can rotate indefinitely under of a 2014 agreement.
The Biden administration has strengthened a set of security alliances in the region to better counter China, a move that is part of the Philippines' efforts to strengthen its external defense, particularly in the South China Sea .
Marcos's move last year alarmed China because two of the new sites were located directly across from Taiwan and southern China. Beijing has accused the Philippines of providing US forces with staging bases, which could be used to compromise their security.
The Philippines has no plans to create or provide access to other bases, Marcos said, without elaborating in response to a question posed during a forum with foreign correspondents based in Manila.
Asked if he was concerned that U.S. military access to Philippine bases had provoked Chinese actions in the South China Sea, Marcos said the presence of U.S. troops was a response to Chinese actions.
These are reactions to what happened in the South China Sea and the aggressive actions we faced, he said, mentioning that Chinese coast guard ships use water cannons and lasers to deter Philippine ships from leaving the area Beijing claims as its own. .
He also mentioned collisions, blocking of Filipino fishermen and sea barriers to block ships from Scarborough Shoal, which is in the Philippines' economic zone.
Under Marcos, the Philippines adopted a strategy of publicizing incidents by allowing journalists to board its patrol ships to witness China's assertive actions.
It is crucial that the media continue to expose these actions which not only threaten the peace and stability of the region, but which also undermine the rules-based order that has underpinned global development and prosperity over the previous century, Marcos said.
China has accused the Philippines of sparking the clashes by intruding into what it claims are Chinese territorial waters and reneging on an alleged deal to remove an old Philippine navy ship, which now serves as a territorial outpost in Manila in the controversial Second Thomas Shoal.
Marcos said he was not aware of any such agreement and added that he considered the agreement void if it ever existed.
Last week, President Joe Biden renewed Washington's unwavering commitment to defending Pacific allies during a summit with Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House. He reiterated that the United States is obligated to defend the Philippines if its forces, aircraft or ships come under armed attack.
Asked when the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines could be invoked in territorial hostilities between China and the Philippines, Marcos quoted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as saying that this could happen if a Filipino service member was killed in an attack by a foreign power.
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