US signs defence deal with Philippines
Troops to use China-facing bases
The United States has struck a deal for its troops to use China-facing military bases in the Philippines, securing an arc of alliances to curb Beijing expansion.
The agreement comes amid a regional arms race triggered by the twin threats of China’s takeover ambitions of Taiwan and North Korea’s rapidly developing nuclear weapons programme.
It also comes on the eve of a rare visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China this weekend where he will reportedly meet president Xi Jinping.
The Philippines deal was agreed by Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, in the capital, Manila, and followed his visit to South Korea to fortify a growing coalition of Westernleaning Asian allies.
Austin said the allies were committed to “strengthening our mutual capacities to resist armed attack”, as he accused China of making “illegitimate claims i n the West Philippine Sea”.
Under the new arrangements, the US will have i ts l argest military presence in the Philippines for 30 years.
The country sits between the South China Sea and the Pacific, strengthening the sweep of US alliances from South Korea and Japan to Five Eyes intelligence partners Australia and New Zealand.
It will allow Washington to deploy military equipment and rotate its troops through nine locations controlled by the Philippines, expanding its current access to allow a more rapid and flexible response to possible conflict.
American leaders have long sought to reorient US foreign policy to better reflect the rise of China as a significant military and economic competitor, as well as to better deal with the lasting threat from North Korea.
“For a Taiwan contingency, the abilit y to have access to northern Philippines is going to be important in terms of the US being able to control the Bashi Channel but also in terms of protecting Philippines territorial integrity,” said Drew Thompson, at the National University of Singapore.
The tensions between China and Taiwan will be high on the agenda next week when Blinken is expected to meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang.
China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory — to be taken by force if necessary.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the US military’s strengthening in the region was escalating tensions and risking peace and stabilit y. “Regional countries need to remain vigilant and avoid being coerced or used by the US,” Mao told reporters at a daily briefing.