U.S.-Philippines relations

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.

The three-day visit, the first by the Chinese navy since 2019, comes at a difficult time in relations between Beijing and Manila.

The White House summit applied a seal to a year of remarkable advances in U.S.-Philippines relations.

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 two F-15s took part in a two-week exchange between the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and the Philippine Air Force.