The Philippines is where America would need to be to counter China
It sits just south of Taiwan and next to contested waters, and it hosts nine sites where American troops rotate through.
Bloomberg Originals · How a Wild Philippines Political Feud Could Affect AsiaLook at a map of Asia, and the Philippines jumps out. It faces directly onto waters claimed by China in the South China Sea. It would be central to any American response if China tried to invade Taiwan.
The reason is geography. The Philippines was an American colony until 1946, and it lies just south of Taiwan. That chain of islands helps decide who controls the sea approaches along China's southern coast, so forces operating from the Philippines are positioned to affect both those waters and Taiwan.
The Philippines is overmatched at sea. Its navy is much smaller than China's. Without the United States there to back them, there is very little Manila can do, which makes American backing central to how the Philippines defends its waters.
Under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Manila has opened its bases to more American troops. The United States now has access to nine locations in the Philippines under their treaty agreements, and American troops rotate through them. Some of those sites sit very close to Taiwan, and some face the South China Sea, with investments that allow a long term presence.
Questions people ask
What is the fight in the South China Sea about?
China claims most of the sea within a sweeping boundary known as the 10-dash line, which overlaps claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and others. The waterway matters because huge volumes of trade pass through it and it may hold oil and gas. A United Nations tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016, but Beijing rejects the ruling.
Why does the U.S. already have troops in the Philippines?
The two countries are treaty allies, a legacy of the Philippines being a U.S. colony until 1946. Under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, American forces can rotate through designated Philippine bases and store equipment there. Under President Marcos Jr., the number of those sites expanded to nine.
Would the Philippines have to join a war over Taiwan?
No automatic trigger exists, and Manila has long tried to avoid choosing sides. Its mutual defense treaty with Washington covers an armed attack on Philippine forces, ships, or territory, not every American operation. But bases in the northern Philippines are so close to Taiwan that any U.S. use of them could draw Manila into a crisis.