Along with islands in Japan, the islands of the Philippines represent what American military planners see as one of the most important locations for such tactics. Marine Corps has proposed shifting toward smaller units in the region that could deploy to remote islands for missile attacks, rear support, counterattacks or intelligence gathering in the case of a war with China over Taiwan. “If you can picture it, the undersea topography is jungle-y - you can sneak in submarines.” Bush who now heads the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney. Green, an Asia expert on the National Security Council under George W. “You need to control the Philippines because of submarines,” said Michael J. The waters just off the west coast that abut the South China Sea - where China has turned a series of sand mounds into military bases - are flush with undergrowth, making it ideal for stealth submarine movement. The Philippines is also strategically important because of what lies beneath the surface of the ocean. China’s moves in the Bashi Channel “really brought that home for Philippine leaders,” he added. If war were to break out over Taiwan, “the battle space will encompass the Philippines,” said Mr. Taiwanese officials called it an “air and sea blockade.” When the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August, China responded by launching military exercises in multiple areas, including the Bashi Channel, a waterway separating Taiwan and the Philippines. Marcos, officials in the Philippines have started building contingency plans for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Marcos, has since said he “cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner.” At least 16,000 Filipino and American troops will train side by side in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, the stronghold of the Marcos family, later this year. Marcos, the son of former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos had indicated that he would try to forge closer ties with China, a hallmark of Mr. has sought to revive his country’s relationship with the United States, surprising many foreign policy experts. Since he took office last June, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He also threatened to disregard the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the deal that formed the basis for Thursday’s announcement. Duterte threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement, a long-held defense pact that allows for large-scale joint military exercises between the two allies. (The Philippines was an American territory for nearly half a century before the country gained independence.) Duterte’s term, he frequently criticized Washington and complained that the United States, the Philippines’ former colonial ruler, had created defense treaty agreements that weighed heavily in favor of the Americans. Washington is shoring up its presence in the country after relations deteriorated during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year term, which ended last year.ĭuring Mr. The Philippines is the United States’ oldest treaty ally in Asia. On Thursday, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, accused the United States of threatening regional peace and stability with its announcement. Among the five treaty allies that the United States has in Asia, the Philippines and Japan are the most geographically close to Taiwan, with the Philippines’ northernmost, inhabited island of Itbayat just 93 miles away. Fears have also grown over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its territory. The deal comes as Washington has tried to reaffirm its influence in the region amid a broader effort to counter Chinese aggression, reinforcing partnerships with strategic allies and bolstering relations that have soured in recent years. The agreement, announced on Thursday, allows Washington to station military equipment and build facilities in nine locations across the Philippines, marking the first time in 30 years that the United States will have such a large military presence in the country. The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines, gaining access to four more sites and strengthening the Southeast Asian nation’s role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan.
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