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View all search resultsNew Philippine military bases with US to be around the country
New EDCA sites includes province near South China Sea.
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P
resident Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday four new military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States would be located in various parts of the Philippines, including in a province facing the South China Sea.
Last month, Marcos granted the US access to four sites, on top of five existing locations under the 2014 EDCA, which comes amid China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards self-ruled Taiwan.
"There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines. There are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south," Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine army's founding anniversary.
The EDCA allows US access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence.
The Philippines and the US would announce the locations of the bases soon, Marcos said, adding the sites would boost the country's ability to defend the "eastern side" of its largest island, Luzon. Luzon is the closest main Philippine island to Taiwan.
China's foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated its stance that the US side was increasing tensions by strengthening its military deployments in the region, adding that countries should be "vigilant" and avoid being used by the US.
"We generally believe that defense cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, and should not be aimed at third parties or harm the interests of third parties," spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular news briefing.
