By Sajjad Ashraf

May 3, 2016

"Fourteen years after the last American military facility closed in the Philippines, United States airplanes and naval ships are back in the country. The deployment came at the end of a 10-day U.S. - Philippines joint military exercise in the South China Sea (SCS) during early April. Amidst overlapping claims in the SCS the two started conducting joint naval patrols last month, contesting Chinese territorial claims. The Philippines had earlier announced that it would allow 5 military bases to the U.S. under a defense deal signed in 2014.

U.S. involvement sends a message that it will work with its allies to pushback on Beijing's expanding presence in the disputed SCS. But it also reinforces belief amongst the Chinese and many others that U.S. is only raising military stakes to thwart China’s rise."

Read more:
http://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/courting-india-the-philippines-and-others-to-maintain-u-s-hegemony-in-south-china-sea/

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