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The US has gained access to four more military bases in the Philippines. An agreement was reached on Thursday during a visit by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to the island nation. In a joint statement, Manila and Washington said four new bases would be added to the 2014 Deepened Defense Agreement (EDCA). So far, the agreement has allowed US forces access to five Philippine military bases where troops can be deployed on a rotational basis .

“The expansion of EDCA will make our alliance stronger and more resilient and will accelerate the modernization of our combined military capabilities,” the statement said. The new locations would also enable faster contractor support for humanitarian or climate-related disasters in the Philippines.

The Philippines is Washington’s oldest treaty partner in the region. Most recently, however, the relationship had cooled considerably during President Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure. Not only Duterte’s bloody fight against drug crime, but also his close ties to China, were a thorn in Washington’s side. Sometimes Duterte canceled a major defense pact with the United States, but later reversed that decision. Since his election last year, the new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has been trying to improve relations.

Austin had previously visited South Korea. In both countries, he wanted to strengthen cooperation with allies on the conflict in Taiwan and tensions in the South China Sea.

(yam/sda/dpa)