Philippines Asserts Limitations on U.S. Access to Bases Amid Strengthened Alliance.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the agreement to grant the United States access to more military bases in his country was not intended for use for "offensive action" against any country. Marcos said the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that allows access to bases in the Philippines was conceived to deal with the effects of climate change. The United States sees the Philippines as a potential location for rockets, missiles, and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.