The Philippine government on Monday identified four new local military areas where rotational batches of American forces with their weapons will be allowed to stay indefinitely despite strong objections from China.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved an expanded U.S. military presence in the country by allowing American forces to station in the four additional Philippine military bases under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the longtime treaty allies. He said the move would boost his country's coastal defense.
