The Philippine president says he won’t give US access to more local military bases

By AARON FAVILA
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president says his administration has no plan to give the U.S. military access to more Philippine army sites. He stressed that the American military presence in several camps and bases so far was sparked by China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had allowed American forces and weapons access to four additional Philippine military bases, bringing to nine the number of sites where U.S. troops can rotate indefinitely. His decision alarmed China because two of the new sites were located just across from Taiwan and southern China. Beijing accused the Philippines of providing American forces with staging grounds, which could be used to undermine its security.