US Military Gains Expanded Access to Philippine Bases

Facts

• The Philippines’ Department of National Defense announced Thursday that the US will be given access to four additional military bases in "strategic areas" of the Southeast Asian country amid persisting tensions with China over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.
• The new deal was sealed under the 2014 US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which has allowed Washington to rotate troops to a total of nine bases across the Philippines. The Philippines gained independence from the US in 1946.
• The agreement, unveiled during a visit to Manila by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, reportedly aims to enhance the decades-old security alliance between both countries and ramp up the modernization of combined military capabilities.
• During a joint press conference, Philippine Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that his country depends on the US and the joint security partnership to prevent regional tensions from escalating into possible military conflict.^[4]
• While it has not been disclosed which new bases the US will gain access to, Washington had reportedly requested entry to sites on the northern Philippine landmass of Luzon close to Taiwan and the Palawan Islands, which are located in the disputed South China Sea.
• Austin's trip to Washington's oldest Asian treaty ally follows that of US Vice Pres. Kamala Harris in November to improve relations that had declined under Marcos' predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, and saw Manila deepen relations with China and Russia.

Sources: Guardian, CNN, Al Jazeera, FOX News, DW, and Associated Press.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by The Diplomat. The Philippines should boost its security ties with Washington as China's expansionism increasingly threatens its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It's no coincidence that key regional players such as Japan have also opted to join the US in stepping up deterrence against Beijing. Given China's increasingly aggressive stance, the question is no longer if, but when, military escalation will occur.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. The US is exploiting the alleged "Chinese threat" to defend its hegemonic claims around the world. Manila must understand that Washington is not concerned with any of Manila's security interests, but that the US seeks to use the Philippines as another tool in a potential conflict with China. The Philippines should therefore pursue a well-balanced foreign policy as a sovereign state and thus avoid becoming a de-facto US colony again.