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The US will have access to four more sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Philippine Secretary of Defense Carlito Gálvez in a joint press conference at the Philippine military headquarters in Manila.
The Philippines has agreed to give the United States access to its military bases in the South China Sea to counter growing challenges from China. Following this, the US military will take a front against China from nine bases in the Philippines. PHILIPPINES Its defense chief made the statement amid growing concerns over China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and tensions over Taiwan’s self-rule that the Philippines has given the United States more access to its military bases. The US will have access to four more sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Philippine Secretary of Defense Carlito Gálvez in a joint press conference at the Philippine military headquarters in Manila.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a visit to the Philippine capital Manila that the US and the Philippines are committed to strengthening each other’s capabilities to resist armed attacks. Austin told CNN this is part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. With the deal, Washington will close the gap between US alliances that stretch from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia in the south. Austin, for talks in the Philippines as the United States looks to expand its security options as part of efforts to deter any move by China against Taiwan’s self-rule.
Austin said our alliance makes both democracies more secure and helps maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. The visit followed a visit by US Vice President Kamala Harris in November, which included a stop on the island of Palawan in the South China Sea. “We discussed concrete actions to confront destabilizing activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea, and we are committed to strengthening our mutual capabilities to resist armed aggression,” she said. “This is part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. These efforts are especially important as the PRC continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea.
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