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The US and the Philippines' military agreement sends a warning to China – 5 key things to know

Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University, Michael E. Flynn, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kansas State University, and Carla Martinez Machain, Professor of Political Science, University at Buffalo, The Conversation on

Published in Political News

The U.S. also announced on Feb. 2, 2023, that it has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands after not having one for 30 years.

While U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has said that this new deal with the Philippines is necessary for training and integrating the U.S. and Philippine troops, it also increases the United States’ ability to respond to regional threats.

Having U.S. forces on the northern island of Luzon, in particular, would increase the United States’ ability to deter Chinese threats toward Taiwan. This expansion of military access also allows the U.S. to more easily and quickly respond to Chinese aggression in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea.

China swiftly responded to the military agreement news. Mao Ning, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said on Feb. 2, 2023, that the move would “escalate tensions and endanger peace and stability in the region.”

After the U.S. won the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Philippines became a U.S. colony until its independence in 1946.

The Philippines went on to host tens of thousands of U.S. troops throughout the Cold War. However, widespread public protests over the U.S. presence led the Philippines to demand the U.S. leave all its bases in 1992.

 

Despite this departure, the U.S. remained active in counterterrorism operations in the Philippines. In 1998, the two governments signed an agreement that again permitted U.S. military personnel to be in the country. In 2014, the countries brokered another agreement that gave U.S. forces access to five Philippine military bases.

The Philippines’ former President Rodrigo Duterte, who served from 2016 through 2022, threatened to end the military agreements between the U.S. and the Philippines multiple times. The agreements endured through his six-year term.

The 2022 election of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opened the possibility of further security cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines, as the new president showed a willingness to rekindle a diplomatic relationship.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in 2022 that an attack on the Philippines would compel the U.S. to defend the country.

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