Austin’s Philippines visit to bring deal on expanded military base access, says Manila official
- Under Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, US can use Philippines’ for joint training, positioning equipment, building facilities like runways and military housing
- Senior Philippines official talked of ‘a push for another 4, 5, of these EDCA sites, we are going to have announcement of some sort’; US already has access to 5 such bases
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Philippines this week is expected to bring an announcement of expanded US access to military bases in the country, a senior Philippines official said on Wednesday.
Washington is eager to extend its security options in the Philippines as part of efforts to deter any move by China against self-ruled Taiwan, while Manila wants to bolster defence of its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea.
Austin flew Tuesday night to Manila from South Korea, where he met his counterpart and said the US would increase its deployment of advanced weapons to the Korean peninsula to bolster joint training with South Korean forces in response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threat.
Austin will meet his Philippine counterpart and other officials on Thursday “to build on our strong bilateral relationship, discuss a range of security initiatives, and advance our shared vision of a free and open Pacific”, he said on Twitter.
On Wednesday morning, Austin visited US troops stationed at a Philippine military camp in the southern city of Zamboanga, according to Roy Galido, commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“Our working relationship to them is very strong,” Galido told reporters, adding that US troops help in counterterrorism and humanitarian and disaster response missions.
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China, Philippines hope to peacefully resolve South China Sea territorial disputes