The United States has obtained access to four new military sites in the Philippines, a strategic piece of real estate that will provide a prime vantage point from which to observe Chinese activity in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Washington has closed the gap in the arc of US alliances extending from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia in the south using this agreement.
The Philippines, which borders two of the greatest potential flashpoints – Taiwan and the South China Sea – has been the missing link.
The agreement, which partially reverses the United States’ exit from their former colony more than three decades ago, is of great importance.
Gregory B. Poling, director of the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, states, “There is no situation in the South China Sea that does not involve access to the Philippines.”
“The US is not looking for permanent bases. It concerns locations, not bases.
The United States already had limited access to five sites under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) – the new additions and expanded access, according to a statement from Washington, will “enable more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges,” likely a reference to countering China in the region.
Philippines military bases near China border
On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Manila.
The United States has not disclosed the location of the four facilities, but three of them could be on Luzon, an island on the northern edge of the Philippines and the only big piece of territory close to Taiwan – excluding China.
The United States seeks access to locations where “light and flexible” operations involving supply and surveillance can be conducted on an as-needed basis, as opposed to bases where significant numbers of troops will be stationed.
This is hardly a return to the 1980s, when the Philippines hosted 15,000 American troops and two of the largest American military sites in Asia, at Clark Field and neighboring Subic Bay.
The Philippine government ceased operations in 1991. The Filipinos recently overthrew the despised tyranny of Ferdinand Marcos, and returning the former colonial overlords to their native countries would strengthen both democracy and independence.
The Vietnam War had ended for decades, the Cold War was winding down, and China’s military was still weak. Thus, in 1992, the majority of American troops returned home.
Approximately thirty years later, another Marcos occupies the Malacaang Palace.
China is no longer a military weakling, and it is knocking on the door of the Philippines. Beijing has begun redrawing the map of the South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea, as Manila insists on calling it. Manila has watched in horror but without the ability to act. Since 2014, China has constructed several artificial island bases, including one in Mischief Reef, which is located deep within the Philippines’ EEZ.
Professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, Herman Kraft, explains that up until that point, relations between Manila and Beijing had been relatively trouble-free.
“In the South China Sea, we had a laissez-vivre policy. However, they attempted to grab control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012. Then, in 2014, the construction of the islands began. The Chinese land grabs altered the relationship.”
Former Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. stated, “We have extremely limited capabilities to counter China’s threat.”
According to him, the Chinese have consistently disregarded their agreements not to militarise their new bases in the South China Sea.
“The Chinese have militarised these features, increasing the danger to our territory. Only the United States can stop them. The Philippines cannot accomplish this alone.”
This time, though, there will not be thousands of US marines and airmen in Olongapo or Angeles city’s red-light districts.
The legacy of violence and abuse committed by US forces in the Philippines remains a touchy subject. There are around 15,000 children left with their mothers in the Philippines after their American fathers returned home.
Renato Reyes, the secretary general of the left-leaning group New Patriotic Alliance, says, “Our relationship has a long history of inequality.” “The social expenses have been borne by the Philippines. A history of rape, child abuse, and toxic waste exists.”
Leftist groups in the Philippines are vehemently opposed to the United States return to the Philippines.
While there will be fewer troops than in the past, Washington is requesting access to numerous additional positions, some facing the South China Sea and others Taiwan. There are choices in Cagayan, Zambales, Palawan, and Isabela, according to unofficial reports.
The first one faces Taiwan, the second face the Scarborough Shoal and the third faces the Spratly Islands. New US facilities will be incorporated into existing Philippine bases. US forces will arrive in small groups and rotate.
The objective, according to Mr. Poling, will be to dissuade further territorial expansion by China in the South China Sea, as well as to provide a location from which the United States can observe Chinese military actions around Taiwan.
“Outside of this partnership, the Philippines have no means to deter China,” he asserts. “India is purchasing BrahMos missiles. The United States desires to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles. Together, they can accommodate Chinese ships.”
The Philippines might provide a “rear access region” for U.S. military operations, or possibly a refugee evacuation site, as Taiwan-related tensions rise.
Mr. Poling said, “People forget that there are between 150,000 and 200,000 Filipinos living in Taiwan.”
Professor Kraft cautions, however, that Manila is not about to become a full-fledged member of an American alliance to oppose or block China’s growth.
“The Philippines do not directly challenge Chinese rights in the South China Sea or East China Sea, as Australia and Japan do. President Marcos desires excellent relations with the United States. However, he also desires excellent relations with China for economic reasons.”
Beijing has also warned that it will not allow a new base arrangement between Manila and Washington to destabilize its relations with its neighbor.
In an editorial published to coincide with the arrival of the US defense secretary in Manila, China’s state-run Global Times accused the United States of “luring the Philippines into a trap” and “attempting to drive the Philippines to the frontline of confrontation with China.”
Mr. Reyes, who believes China is just as much a capitalist-imperialist force as the United States, states, “We are once again caught in the midst.”
“The Philippines still have a colonial mentality; they view the United States as their older sibling.”
