Won’t give US military access to additional local camps: Philippine

Manila: The Philippine President said Monday his administration has no plan to give the US military access to more Philippine army camps and stressed that the American military presence was sparked by China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who took office in 2022, allowed American forces and weapons access to four additional Philippine military bases, bringing to nine the number of camps where US troops can rotate indefinitely under a 2014 agreement.

The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of security alliances in the region to better counter China, a move that dovetails with Philippine efforts to shore up its external defense, especially in the South China Sea.

Marcos’ decision last year alarmed China because two of the new sites were located just across from Taiwan and southern China. Beijing accused the Philippines of providing American forces with staging grounds, which could be used to undermine its security.

“The Philippines has no plans to create any more bases or give access to any more bases,” Marcos said, without elaborating in answer to a question during a forum with Manila-based foreign correspondents. Asked if he was concerned that allowing the US military access to Philippine bases had provoked Chinese actions in the South China Sea, Marcos said the presence of US troops was in response to China’s moves.