EDCA

The Philippines' largest island has become the focus of U.S. and Japanese attempts to counter China's growing power in the South China Sea.

Several legislators and local officials said they support the expansion of EDCA, but some of the president’s allies have raised questions about it.

Comments by Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., raise the question of where the outer limits of U.S.-Philippine cooperation lie.

The trip will focus on strengthening longstanding economic relations and expanding the two nations' more recent cooperation on defense and security matters.

The announcement comes ahead of a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris to the island of Palawan, adjacent to the disputed Spratly Islands.

Both sides are outlining an agenda that attempts to modernize the alliance in the face of new challenges.

Nearly three decades on from the closure of the Subic Bay naval base, the Philippines’ relationship with the United States remains complicated.

The Philippine president has renewed a threat to terminate an accord unless Washington restores a visa of a political ally linked to human rights violations.

Can Jakarta cope with Chinese coercion in the South China Sea?

Both sides continue to pursue talks on how to review and update their alliance relationship in the face of risks and opportunities.

While calls for reviewing the alliance may be understandable, both sides should carefully weigh the risks and opportunities as they assess options.

The evolution of the interaction bears watching within the context of the broader defense relationship in the Duterte era.