U.S. Gets Access To 9 Military Bases In The Philippines (Update)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (C) reviews honour guards upon arrival at the Department of National Defense at Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila on February 2, 2023. © Rolex Dela Pena, AFP 

EurAsian Times: US Gets Access To 9 Military Bases In The Philippines; China Warns Manila Of Being ‘Dragged Into Troubled Waters’ 

With the US military steadily securing expanded access to critical military sites in the Philippines, China has warned this could lead to the Philippines being taken advantage of and dragged into troubled waters. 

Amid mounting concern over China’s increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan, the US military managed to secure access to four additional bases in the Philippines. 

The United States already had access to five military bases in the Philippines. The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Philippines’ Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez said in a joint news conference at the Philippine military headquarters in Manila that the United States would be given access to four more bases under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).  

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Update #1: US secures key military deal with the Philippines to counter Beijing’s growing regional influence (France 24)  

Update #2: Why the Philippines Is Letting the U.S. Expand Its Military Footprint in the Country Again (Time)  

WNU Editor: This is a major reversal by the Philippines and a sign that Manila has concerns on what China's ambitions are .... US, Philippines to restart joint patrols in South China Sea (AFP).