Manila says will not help US on patrols in South China Seas
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says it is highly unlikely the Philippines will allow the U.S. military to use the country as a springboard for its freedom of navigation patrols in the disputed South China Sea to avoid antagonizing China.
Lorenzana said Thursday that U.S. ships and aircraft could use bases in Guam, Okinawa or fly from aircraft carriers to patrol the disputed waters.
Under President Rodrigo Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, some U.S. aircraft and ships stopped in the Philippines on the way to patrolling the disputed waters to counter China's aggressive moves to back up its territorial claims.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duterte, who took office in June, has taken steps to mend damaged ties with China while taking a hostile stance on the U.S., his country's longtime treaty ally.