Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday the United States would not be given access to more Philippine military bases.
Marcos’s remarks came days after a trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines in Washington where tensions over the disputed South China Sea were high on the agenda.
The Philippines is a major focus of US efforts to strengthen regional alliances due to its proximity to the waterway and self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
Manila last year announced the locations of four more military bases it is allowing the US military to use on top of the five agreed on under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA.
The deal allows US troops to rotate through and store defence equipment and supplies.
“The answer to that is no. The Philippines has no plan to open or to establish more EDCA bases,” Marcos said in response to an AFP question about whether there would be more EDCA sites.
Marcos made his remarks during a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines that was attended by members of the Philippine military and foreign diplomats.
At last week’s trilateral meeting, President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defend its treaty ally Manila.
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.
Top Biden administration officials have repeatedly said that “an armed attack” against Philippine public vessels, aircraft, armed forces or coastguard anywhere in the South China Sea would invoke the treaty.
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 have 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 key in the event of a conflict with China.
