Manila identifies locations of four new sites in US military pact as ties expand

The office of the Philippine president on Monday identified the four additional bases the United States will have access to under an existing defense agreement to expand military cooperation.

The announcement comes amid concern over China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and tension over Taiwan.

The sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will be in Isabela and Cagayan, on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, and on Palawan, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.