Manila refuses to give access of more military bases to US
Philippines has no plans to give access to any more bases, insists Marcos; Manila expanded a 2014 agreement last year to give US access to another four military bases, taking the total number to nine
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said on Monday the United States would not be given access to more Philippine military bases.
Marcos’s remarks came days ater a trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines in Washington where tensions over the disputed South China Sea - which Beijing claims almost entirely - were high on the agenda.
The Philippines is a key focus of US efforts to strengthen regional alliances due to its proximity to the waterway and self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
Manila expanded a 2014 agreement last year to give US military access to another four military bases in the country, taking the total number to nine.
The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) allows US troops to rotate through and store defence equipment and supplies. It has infuriated Beijing.
“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.
“These are reactions to what has happened in the South China Sea, to the aggressive actions that we have had to deal with,” he said, mentioning Chinese coast guard vessels using water cannons and lasers to deter Philippine ships from 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 lies in the Philippine economic zone.
Under Marcos, the Philippines has adopted a strategy of publicising the 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 that not only threaten the peace and stability of the region but also undermine the rules-based order that has underpinned global development and prosperity over the previous century,” Marcos said.
Marcos spoke during a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines that was atended by senior members of the Philippine military and foreign diplomats.
US President Joe Biden reiterated during last week’s trilateral meeting that Washington’s commitment to defend its treaty ally Manila was “ironclad”.
While the two countries have a complex history that has seen relations seesaw in recent years, they remain bound by a 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty.
Repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea in recent months, including collisions and Chinese ships using water cannon on Philippine vessels, injuring Filipino troops, has fuelled speculation over what actions would trigger the treaty.
Top Biden administration officials have repeatedly said that “an armed atack” against Philippine public vessels, aircrat, armed forces or coastguard anywhere in the South China Sea would invoke the treaty. Marcos said on Monday that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had given assurances that the treaty would be invoked if another “foreign power” killed a Filipino soldier.
Last year’s expansion of EDCA came as the countries sought to repair ties that had been strained in recent years.
Previous Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte favoured China over his country’s former colonial master but Marcos’s administration has been keen to reverse that.
Beijing’s growing assertiveness in pressing its claims to almost the entire South China Sea and over Taiwan has given fresh impetus to Washington and Manila to strengthen their partnership. Given the proximity of the Philippines to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, the country’s cooperation would be crucial in the event of a conflict with China.
Marcos said the agreements between Manila and Washington were “beyond politics” and were almost “treaty agreements” that would have to be honoured whoever was in power.