U.S. adds Philippines military presence

The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines, both countries announced on Thursday, adding American access to four more bases and asserting the Southeast Asian nation's role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan.

The agreement was announced on Tuesday as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was in the Philippines on a trip that began on Tuesday. The deal would allow Washington to position military equipment and rotate troops into a total of nine military bases controlled by the Philippines.

The island democracy China claims to be China's territory because of the growing fears in the region over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Philippines is geographically close to Taiwan, with its northernmost land mass of Luzon just 124 miles away, as the United States has five treaty allies in Asia. American officials say that getting access to the Philippines northernmost islands is crucial to countering China in the event of an attack on Taiwan.

Three decades ago, the presence of the U.S. in the Philippines was a sore point for many Filipinos. The military bases maintained by the Americans for nearly a century in the Philippines were seen as a vestige of American colonialism. In 1992, the United States had to shut down its last American military base in the Philippines after street protests and a decision by the Philippine Senate to disband the American military presence.