According to Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the president of the Philippines, the United States plans to erect four new military installations “scattered” throughout the nation. According to RT, he stated that at least one plant would be situated close to a disputed island chain that China and numerous other countries have claimed.
The Filipino president provided more information about the new sites, which were first announced as part of the Expanded Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with Washington, in a statement to the media on Wednesday, as reported by RT. Yet he insisted that he would withhold their precise location until the US and another country made a public statement.
“There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines – there are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there is some further south,” he said, adding that the sites will aid in the defence of Luzon, the largest island in the nation.
The contested Spratly archipelago, also known by a number of other local names in the South China Sea, is located about 200 miles (320 kilometres) east of Palawan, one of the westernmost districts of the Philippines. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines are among the six nations that have staked claims to portions of the small island chain, but US officials have repeatedly rejected Beijing’s claims as “unlawful.”
Source: republicworld