Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

The Philippine leader did not mention China by name, but his comments were a clear reference to the growing frictions in the South China Sea.

Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said yesterday that six projects are slated for completion by the end of the year.

The 2+2 meeting of defense and foreign ministers coincided with the opening of the largest-ever iteration of the annual Balikatan military exercise.

This is the first such meeting to take place since late in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

The U.S. military will be granted access to three additional military facilities in the northern Philippines, and one on the island of Palawan in the South China Sea.

The rapid warming of relations with the U.S. has prompted warnings from Beijing, and domestic political pushback.

The upgrade at Manila's Basa Air Base is part of $82 million in U.S.-funded infrastructure upgrades at military bases included under a 2014 defense pact.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said that the expansion of EDCA "will seriously harm Philippine national interests and endanger regional peace and stability."

The two sides have agreed to grant the U.S. armed forces access to four more bases under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

The U.S. defense chief is the latest senior official to visit the Philippines in a sign of warming ties after a strained period under Marcos's predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

The move, which is expected to be announced this week, is the latest sign of the rapid advancement in bilateral relations under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The U.S. vice president's visit to the Philippines has seemingly closed the book on the problems and tensions of the Rodrigo Duterte era.