(Photo : Jamilah Sta Rosa-Pool/Getty Images)
Military ties between the two longtime allies were strengthened during US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to the Philippines in light of rising Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippines will allow the United States to operate its military facilities on the southeastern border of the South China Sea near Taiwan, the two allied nations announced Thursday.
The USA will be able to deploy personnel to a total of nine sites in the Philippines thanks to the recently announced pact, all of which fall under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed in 2014, per CNN.
With growing worries over China's aggressive territorial posturing across the area, the USA has increased its efforts to increase its security choices in the Indo-Pacific in recent months, which impacted US-China relations.
I had the opportunity to meet with @SecManalo for the 1st time since his appointment. We discussed cooperation on key priorities & reaffirmed our treaty commitments to the 🇵đź‡Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty. I look forward to making more progress together in the future pic.twitter.com/JJyyT9BdlM
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) February 2, 2023
Read Also: Ukraine Anti-Corruption Raid Update
US Bolstering Military Ties with The Philippines
Defense Secretary Llyod Austin, in his Manila visit, delivered a message where he reaffirmed the USA and Philippine commitments to bolster each other's defenses against military assault.
Referencing China's increased presence in the sea near the Philippines, Austin noted that the agreement was "part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. And these efforts are especially important as the People's Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea."
However, Austin did not specify which bases the US military would be able to use.
Washington said the agreement would also enable better access to humanitarian relief during calamities in the Philippines, and react to other shared issues, presumably a reference to opposing China in the area, according to BBC.
The visit of the US military chief follows that of Vice President Kamala Harris in November and is seen as a sign of improving relations between the two countries after it became weary during the term of previous Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who had a warm relationship with China and Philippines, amid deteriorating US-China relations, per AP News.
Related Article: Kamala Harris Visits Tyre Nichols Funeral
