WASHINGTON, DC, USA – President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will agree on Monday, May 1, to new guidelines aimed at strengthening military cooperation, said US officials, underscoring a dramatic turnaround in US-Philippine relations over the past year.
The meeting comes as part of a four-day US visit by Marcos that started on Sunday, the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years. But with many Filipinos frustrated by China’s actions in the South China Sea, including the harassing of Philippine ships and fishermen in parts of the sea that both countries claim, popular support has grown for a tougher stance towards Beijing.
Experts say the United States considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious assault. Earlier this month, Washington and Manila added five bases to an existing list of four, including three facing north towards Taiwan and one near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China said the move was “stoking the fire” of regional tensions and that Washington should take no role in a conflict far away from its shores.