The Philippine Online Chronicles

The United States seeks to expand its military presence in the Philippines, officials from both countries said on Thursday.

Parts of the proposal include the temporary stationing of US Navy ships and more frequent joint military exercises. However, Leslie Hullryde, a Pentagon spokesperson, stressed that this was not directed at China's growing aggressiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.

“The idea that we are looking to establish US bases or permanently station US forces in the Philippines—or anywhere else in Southeast Asia—as part of a China containment strategy is patently false,” said Hullryde.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin reassured the Philippine Daily Inquirer that any agreement sought would adhere to the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement.

“It’s true that the United States wants to expand its presence in the region, which is why they will put up a base in Australia and station ships in Singapore. But in the Philippines, [the arrangement will involve] exercises that will still be in accordance with our Visiting Forces Agreement,” Gazmin said.

US officials were also aware of certain sensitivities in the negotiations.

“This is not about looking for US bases in the Philippines,” said Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. “This is simply about trying to move our relationship with the Philippine military forward.”

While the US denies these talks are not part of an overall China strategy, the Philippines and China have butted heads in the past on the territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands. The United States supports the Philippines in this issue.