U.S. Military in Talks to Develop Port in Philippines Facing Taiwan

MANILA (Reuters) – 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 said, 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. The Chinese military regularly sends ships and aircraft through the channel, Taiwan’s defense ministry has said.
Marilou Cayco, the provincial governor of the Batanes islands, said that 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.
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 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.