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.

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.

The two leaders committed to strengthening a strategic partnership that both view as vital in an era of renascent Chinese power.

The trajectory of the alliance will be contingent upon the management of structural challenges, and how Manila keeps pace with changing regional and global realities.