By Han Xu
韩旭
The US will invest $66.5 million to help the Philippines upgrade and transform three military bases and the construction of the project will start in 2023 according to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the US and the Philippines, said the Department of National Defense of the Philippines recently. Lieutenant General Bartolome Bacarro, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that the US has proposed to build five additional military infrastructures in the Philippines that can be used by the US military, and relevant negotiations are ongoing.
近日，菲律宾国防部发表声明称，根据美菲《加强防务合作协议》，美国将投入6650万美元，帮助菲律宾升级改造3个军事基地，项目建设将于2023年开始。此前，菲律宾武装部队总参谋长巴卡罗表示，美国已提议在菲律宾增加建设5个可供美军使用的军事基础设施，相关谈判正在进行。
The US and the Philippines signed the EDCA in 2014. According to the agreement, the US armed forces are allowed to station troops in the Philippines in rotation, use military bases in the Philippines, renovate or expand base facilities, and place weapons and equipment in the Philippines. At present, the Philippines has opened five military bases to the US, including Bautista Air Base, Basa Air Base in the south of Manila, Fort Magsaysay in the north of Manila, Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao and Mactan-Benito Ebuen air base in Cebu. The US proposes to build another five new military infrastructures, which will be located in Kalayaan, Palawan, Zambales and Isabela provinces.
2014年，美菲两国签署《加强防务合作协议》。根据协议，美军被允许以轮换方式在菲律宾驻军、使用菲律宾的军事基地，并对基地设施进行改建或扩建，以及在菲律宾预置武器装备。目前，菲律宾向美国开放5个军事基地，包括包蒂斯卡空军基地、马尼拉南部的巴塞空军基地、马尼拉北部的麦格赛赛堡基地、棉兰老岛的伦比亚空军基地和宿务的埃布恩空军基地。美方提议另外新建的5个军事基础设施，将在卡拉延省、巴拉望岛、三描礼士省和伊莎贝拉省选址。
Since the beginning of 2022, the defense cooperation between the US and the Philippines has continued to heat up. The US and the Philippines held the largest Balikatan joint military exercise in history in March, involving about 3,800 Filipino soldiers and 5,100 American soldiers. In August, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized during his visit to the Philippines that the Philippines is an "irreplaceable friend, partner and ally" to the US and promised to provide support to the Philippines when it is under attack.
今年以来，美菲防务合作不断升温。3月，美国和菲律宾举行史上最大规模“肩并肩”联合军事演习，约3800名菲律宾士兵和5100名美军士兵参演。8月，美国国务卿布林肯在访问菲律宾期间强调，菲律宾是美国“不可替代的朋友、伙伴和盟友”，并承诺在菲律宾受到攻击时对其提供支持。
In addition, the US and the Philippines are also actively promoting military procurement cooperation. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that the US State Department approved the sale of 12 F-16 fighter jets, more than 10 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 24 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and other equipment to the Philippines. The total arms sales are close to $2.9 billion.
此外，美菲双方还积极推动军购合作项目。美国国防安全合作局宣布，美国国务院已批准向菲律宾出售12架F-16战斗机、10余枚“鱼叉”反舰导弹和24枚“响尾蛇”空空导弹及其他装备，军售总额接近29亿美元。
For the US, the Philippines is an important fulcrum for its implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. As a traditional ally of the US in the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines is located in the middle of the "first island chain" in the "three-tier island chains" created by the US. It is in the key passage between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and its geostrategic position is very important. The US believes that building a forward military base in the Philippines will facilitate its involvement in Asia-Pacific affairs.
对美国而言，菲律宾是其落实“印太战略”的重要支点。菲律宾作为美国在亚太地区的传统盟国，位于美国打造“三层岛链”中“第一岛链”的中间位置，处于印度洋与太平洋的关键通道，地缘战略位置十分重要。美国认为，在菲律宾打造前沿军事基地，将为其介入亚太地区事务提供便利。
For the Philippines, strengthening military cooperation with the US can gain more interest and support. The new President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, is in the early stages of his administration. He hopes to build a more comprehensive and cohesive military alliance with the US and obtain military assistance from the US to strengthen his own military strength and gain the support of domestic pro-US forces.
对菲律宾而言，加强与美国的军事合作，可以获得更多利益支持。菲律宾新任总统马科斯处于执政初期，希望通过与美国构建更全面和紧密的军事同盟关系，获取美对菲的军事援助，以强化自身军事实力，并获得国内亲美势力的支持。
The outside world believes that it is difficult for the US and the Philippines to strengthen defense cooperation due to their own respective interests. The US regards the Philippines as an important force in implementing its Indo-Pacific Strategy concept and seeking advantages in "major power competition". However, the Philippines is at a disadvantage in its asymmetric alliance with the US, and too much reliance on the US will affect its autonomy to a certain extent. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has always pursued a "balanced foreign policy". After Marcos came to power, the foreign policy of the Philippines tended to be pro-US. However, driven by the political legacy left by the previous government and its own strategic stance, there is a high probability that the Philippines will continue to seek diversified diplomatic cooperation to maximize its own interests in the game of major powers.
外界认为，基于各自的利益，美菲强化防务合作难以走深入实。美国将菲律宾视为其落实“印太战略”构想、谋求“大国竞争”优势的重要力量。然而，菲律宾在与美国的非对称性结盟关系中处于弱势，过多地依赖美国将在一定程度上影响自主权。菲律宾前任总统杜特尔特在任期间，一直奉行“平衡外交”政策。马科斯上台后，菲律宾外交政策有“向美倾斜”的趋势，但在前任政府留下的政治遗产与自身战略立场的双重驱使下，其大概率会继续寻求多元化外交合作，在大国博弈中谋求自身利益最大化。
