U.S. Base Expansion in the Philippines：Not up to Expectations

Since 2013, although the U.S. has made significant progress in expanding Philippine bases and increasing its military presence there, the importance of these developments should not be overstated. The current situation in both the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait remains tense but has not yet erupted into open conflict (“hot but not exploding”). The U.S. is willing to exploit these Philippine bases, actively using them to shape the strategic environment, contain China, and drain Chinese resources, yet it is unwilling to invest too heavily—especially since the existing infrastructure in the Philippines is poor and would require massive additional investment to achieve wartime resilience. #EDCA #USBase #Philippine