Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the U.S. can’t use military bases in his country for "offensive action” against China in the event of a future war over Taiwan, as the Southeast Asian nation continues to balance strengthening American defense ties with increasing pressure from Beijing.
"I think we are in lockstep with the U.S. with that,” Marcos said. "And that they understand the concerns that the Philippines has, and are sensitive to the reasons why we have those concerns.”
Marcos, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Thursday, said the Biden administration had never raised the possibility that the military bases provided under an expanded defense cooperation agreement could become "staging areas for any offensive action against any country.”