U.S military in talks to develop a civilian port in Philippines

The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan.

U.S. military involvement in the proposed port in the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China and a drive by Washington to intensify its longstanding defence treaty engagement with the Philippines.

The Bashi Channel between those islands and Taiwan is considered a choke point for vessels moving between the western Pacific and the contested South China Sea and a key waterway in the case of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Chinese military regularly sends ships and aircraft through the channel, Taiwan's defence ministry has said.

Marilou Cayco, the provincial governor of the Batanes islands, told Reuters in a message she had sought funding from the U.S. for the building of an "an alternative port" there, which was intended to assist the unloading of cargo from the capital, Manila, during rough seas in the monsoon season.

She said the plans were to build a port on Basco island, where local authorities say high waves often make the existing port inaccessible, and that a decision could be made in October.

The Philippines has in the past year almost doubled the number of its military bases that U.S. forces can access, ostensibly for humanitarian assistance, and also has thousands of U.S. troops in the country at any given time, rotating in and out for joint training exercises. China has said these U.S. moves were "stoking the fire" of regional tensions.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed port in Basco.

Two other Filipino officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said U.S troops had visited Batanes recently to discuss the port.

One, a senior military official, said the Filipino armed forces were interested in radar and improving monitoring capabilities in the area.

Cayco confirmed the visit, saying they came "one time to assess" the proposed alternative port.

The move comes as Washington pursues closer ties with Asian nations to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, its former colony and treaty ally.

Previous President Rodrigo Duterte had threatened to scrap the U.S.-Philippines alliance and realign the country with Beijing but relations between China and the Philippines have grown tense under the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos, the son and namesake of the disgraced late strongman president, has sought closer ties with Washington, granting it access to four more military bases, including several close to Taiwan, though not in Batanes, and announced joint patrols in the South China Sea.

Marcos has said the bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) could prove useful if China attacked Taiwan.

Security officials in Manila said they believed any military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would inevitably affect the Philippines, given its geographic proximity to Taiwan and the presence of over 150,000 Filipinos on the democratically-governed island.

Batanes also served as one of the training sites during this year's joint military exercises, known as Balikatan, which involved more than 17,000 Filipino and American troops, making it the biggest ever edition of the military drill.

At the time of the exercise, Cayco said she was seeking investment to build seaports and airports in the island province that is home to 18,000 people. The province could harbour Filipinos fleeing Taiwan if conflict breaks out there and residents have been worried about mounting tensions, according to local government officials.

The Philippines and China have also clashed in recent months over disputed waters in the South China Sea, with Chinese vessels firing water cannons on a Filipino vessel trying to send supplies to an outpost.

Cayco said she didn't have any conversation with the U.S. about EDCA or about radar installations.

She also said there had not yet been discussions about what access the U.S would have to the proposed port, but troops could use all ports in the area for regular military exercises like the Balikatan.

Jay Batongbacal, maritime affairs expert at the University of the Philippines, said the proposed port "would certainly be needed for the island’s defence in a worst case scenario."

"If I were a Chinese strategist, I would want to take the Batanes at minimum in order to ensure control of the Luzon straits and use the island to prevent the approach of adversary naval forces," he said.

Reporting by Poppy McPherson and Karen Lema; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read Next

ChinacategoryHow Evergrande’s downfall signaled China’s property crisis

In the beginning, Hui Ka Yan followed a simple formula. Borrow to buy land. Sell homes on the site before they are built. Use the cash to pay lenders and finance the next real estate project.
AfricacategoryJohannesburg fire: Scores killed as fire guts rundown apartment block

More than 70 people were killed overnight when fire raged through a five-storey Johannesburg apartment block, one of the worst such disasters in a city where poverty, household fires and homelessness are widespread.
WorldcategoryExclusive: China's Xi likely to skip G20 summit in India

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip a summit of G20 leaders in India next week, sources familiar with the matter in India and China told Reuters.
EuropecategoryLate Russian mercenary Prigozhin spoke about his security in newly surfaced video

A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his wellbeing and possible threats to his security.
Asia PacificcategoryPhilippines, Taiwan, Malaysia reject China's latest South China Sea map

The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have rejected as baseless a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea and which Beijing said on Thursday should be viewed rationally and objectively.

    United StatescategoryIdalia lashes Carolinas as Florida's Gulf Coast begins recovery

    Tropical Storm Idalia on Thursday was drenching the Carolinas with heavy downpours that threatened to cause dangerous flooding while Florida's Gulf Coast began recovery efforts after the system tore through the area as a Category 3 hurricane.

LSEG Workspace

Newsletter|Every weekday.
Reuters Daily Briefing

The day's top news in your inbox. We cover the world, from front lines to boardrooms. (This includes the Reuters Weekend Briefing.)
More from Reuters
World

    China hones anti-submarine capabilities amid South China Sea tensions
    Asia Pacificcategory · August 31, 2023 · 10:05 AM GMT+3

    China's military said it had recently held intensive anti-submarine exercises in the strategically important South China Sea as part of efforts to hone its capabilities amid rising maritime tensions with its neighbours and their allies.
    Climate Changecategory
    Britain names Claire Coutinho as minister for energy security and net zero
    1:05 PM GMT+3
    United Kingdomcategory
    Britain's Royal Navy tracks Russian vessels close to UK waters
    3:48 PM GMT+3 Updated an hour ago
    Water Managementcategory
    Japan PM tells fisheries minister to apologise for calling Fukushima wastewater 'contaminated'
    2:28 PM GMT+3
    United Kingdomcategory
    Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as UK defence minister
    11:44 AM GMT+3

Site Index
Latest

    Home

Browse

    World
    Business
    Markets
    Sustainability
    Legal
    Breakingviews
    Technology
    Investigations

    , opens new tab
    Sports
    Science
    Lifestyle

Media

Videos
, opens new tab
Pictures
Graphics

    , opens new tab

About Reuters

    About Reuters

, opens new tab
Careers
, opens new tab
Reuters News Agency
, opens new tab
Brand Attribution Guidelines
, opens new tab
Reuters Leadership
, opens new tab
Reuters Fact Check
, opens new tab
Reuters Diversity Report

    , opens new tab

Stay Informed

    Download the App

, opens new tab
Newsletters

    , opens new tab

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Follow Us

Thomson Reuters Products

    Westlaw

, opens new tab

Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
Onesource
, opens new tab

The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.
Checkpoint

    , opens new tab

    The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.

LSEG Products

    Workspace

, opens new tab

Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
Data Catalogue
, opens new tab

Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.
World-Check

    , opens new tab

    Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.

    Advertise With Us

, opens new tab
Advertising Guidelines
, opens new tab
Coupons
, opens new tab
Acquire Licensing Rights

    , opens new tab

    Cookies

, opens new tab
Terms of Use
, opens new tab
Privacy
, opens new tab
Digital Accessibility
, opens new tab
Corrections
, opens new tab
Site Feedback

    , opens new tab

All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.

© 2023 Reuters. All rights reserved