China calls for ‘trust’ as Philippines identifies more bases with US

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Wednesday called for “mutual understanding and trust” in bilateral relations with the Philippines as Manila announced it has identified four more locations for joint military bases with the US.

“China hopes and believes that through consultation, the two sides will enhance mutual understanding and trust, maintain close communication and coordination, work together for healthy and steady development of China-Philippines ties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing, according to Chinese daily Global Times.

Beijing’s comments came as China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong will embark on an official trip to the Southeast Asian archipelago nation for bilateral negotiations.

Sun will be in Philippines between Wednesday and Friday to meet his Filipino counterpart Theresa Lazaro.

Earlier on Wednesday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed that Manila had identified four new locations for joint military bases with Washington.

Manila and Washington run jointly five bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed in 2014, which allows deployment of the American soldiers in various parts of the Philippines.

One of the new locations identified faces the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines had agreed last month to allow the US military access to four more military bases in the country.

On the occasion, the US Defense Department had said the access to new locations “will allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges.”

The announcement had come during the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the archipelago nation, Washington's oldest military ally in Asia.

The EDCA, a military deal signed between Manila and Washington during former Filipino President Corazon Aquino’s government, allows for the increased rotational presence of US troops, planes, and ships in Philippine military bases, as well as the construction of facilities to store fuel and equipment. However, it is not a permanent presence.

“There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines. There are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south,” Marcos said.

In Beijing, Wang said: “China and Philippines will promote cooperation in key areas, exchange ideas on maritime differences, maritime cooperation and other international and regional issues."

“The Philippines and the United States would announce the locations of the bases soon,” Marcos said, adding that “the sites would boost the country’s ability to defend the ‘eastern side’ of its largest island, Luzon.”

Luzon island is the closest to Taiwan.

The selection of four more bases will take a total number of joint bases to nine under the EDCA. However, a formal announcement by two allies for new bases has not been made yet.

According to Manila-based Rappler.com news website, “the United States had asked for access to bases in Isabela, Zambales and Cagayan, all on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, and on Palawan in the southwest, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.”