The move will expand Washington's military presence in the region. Analysts say its aimed at countering China's increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and its presence in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement came after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in Manila on Thursday. By reopening US bases in the Philippines, Washington has effectively created an arc of US allies stretching from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia in the south. Analysis on this now with Rahul Mishra in Kuala Lumpur, where he's the Director at the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism at Malay University.
