Manila recently allowed Washington to use additional military bases, at a time when the two allies seek to counter China’s growing influence in the region and its claims to disputed waters and islands.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said that his government will not allow his country to become a “starting point” for military action, in statements that preceded his meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington, Monday.
Manila recently allowed Washington to use additional military bases, at a time when the two allies seek to counter China’s growing influence in the region and its claims to disputed waters and islands.
“We will not encourage any provocative action by any country that would implicate the Philippines,” Marcos told reporters on Sunday on the plane to Washington. “We will not allow the Philippines to be used as a launching pad for any military action of any kind.”
Marcos’ visit comes after the United States called on China to stop its “provocative and unsafe behavior” in the disputed South China Sea, after a Chinese coast guard vessel approached a Philippine patrol vessel last Sunday, which almost caused them to collide.
“We call on Beijing to cease its provocative and unsafe behavior,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Saturday, adding that any attack on the Armed Forces of the Philippines would trigger a US response. Manila and Washington have a mutual defense relationship dating back to 1951.
The Philippines said the April 23 incident “nearly caused a collision … that could cause casualties on both sides,” according to a statement from the presidential palace. “This is exactly what we want to avoid,” the statement added.
The Philippine president has urged China to stick to an agreement he made with President Xi Jinping earlier this year in Beijing to set up a “direct communication mechanism” on issues related to overlapping sovereign claims in the South China Sea, and Manila has teamed up unlike Beijing, according to Marcos.
Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that this has no legal basis. Marcos said he will not allow China to ignore the Philippines’ sea rights, and his closeness to the United States reflects his quest to strengthen their defense ties.
Last month, the Philippines allowed the United States to use four additional military bases, including a naval base near the disputed Spratly Islands and two near Taiwan.
