The United States and the Philippines on Thursday announced plans to bolster the U.S. military presence in the Southeast Asian country as part of efforts to deter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) mounting aggression in the South China Sea, as well as toward Taiwan.
A joint statement posted on the websites of both countries said that the United States will be given access to four more military bases in strategic areas of the Philippines, under an agreement dating back to 2014 called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The agreement comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Manila for talks amid efforts from Washington to expand its security options in the Philippines to deter any move by the CCP against self-ruled Taiwan….