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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 4 april 2023

Philippines names 4 new camps for U.S. forces amid China fury

By JIM GOMEZ ippine Armed Forces and
Associated Press allow us to respond more
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — seamlessly together to ad-
The Philippine government dress a range of shared
on Monday identified four challenges in the Indo-Pa-
new military camps, includ- cific region.”
ing some across the sea In a meeting last month
from Taiwan, where rotat- with Philippine officials in
ing batches of American Manila, however, a Chi-
forces will be allowed to be nese Foreign Ministry dele-
stationed indefinitely de- gation expressed its strong
spite strong objections from opposition to an expanded
China. U.S. military presence in the
President Ferdinand Mar- Philippines and warned of
cos Jr.’s administration an- repercussions for regional
nounced in February his peace and stability, a Phil-
approval of an expansion ippine official involved in
of the U.S. military presence the talks said at the time.
to four additional Philippine Philippine diplomats replied
military bases from the five that the decision to allow
existing sites under the 2014 an expanded American
Enhanced Defense Co- military presence was in
operation Agreement be- Philippine Army Artillery Regiment Commander Anthony Coronel, left, returns a salute from the Philippines’ national in-
tween the longtime treaty a US soldier during a joint military drill called Salaknib at Laur, Nueva Ecija province, northern terest and would boost its
Philippines on Friday, March 31, 2023.
allies. Associated Press ability to respond to natural
Marcos said the move disasters, the official said,
would boost the Philip- infuriated Chinese officials and has taken increasingly that it says promote free- suggesting the move was
pines’ coastal defense. It because they would pro- aggressive actions that dom of navigation and the not aimed at China.
dovetails with the Biden vide U.S. forces with a stag- have threatened smaller rule of law, angering Bei- The official spoke on condi-
administration’s efforts to ing ground close to south- claimant states, including jing. The four new military tion of anonymity because
strengthen an arc of mili- ern China and Taiwan, the the Philippines. sites for American forces of a lack of authority to
tary alliances in the Indo- self-governed island Beijing China and the Philippines, are “suitable and mutually publicly discuss the sensi-
Pacific to better counter claims as its own. along with Vietnam, Ma- beneficial” and will “boost tive issue.
China, including in any fu- The two other military ar- laysia, Brunei and Taiwan, the disaster response of the The Chinese Embassy also
ture confrontation over Tai- eas are in northern Isabela have been locked in in- country” as a springboard warned in a recent state-
wan. province and a navy camp creasingly tense territorial for humanitarian and relief ment that the Philippine
The new sites identified on Balabac island in the disputes over the busy and work during emergencies, government’s security co-
by Marcos’ office include western province of Pala- resource-rich South China Marcos’s office said. operation with Washington
a Philippine navy base in wan. Sea. Washington lays no In a statement, the U.S. “will drag the Philippines
Santa Ana and an interna- Palawan faces the South claims to the strategic wa- Department of Defense into the abyss of geopo-
tional airport in Lal-lo, both China Sea, a key passage ters but has deployed war- said the new locations “will litical strife and damage its
in northern Cagayan prov- for global trade that Beijing ships and fighter and sur- strengthen the interoper- economic development at
ince. Those locations have claims virtually in its entirety veillance aircraft for patrols ability of the U.S. and Phil- the end of the day.” q

Hungary’s Orban tells Trump to ‘keep

on fighting’ in tweet

By JUSTIN SPIKE gust. The far-right Hungar- charges against him is un-
Associated Press ian leader had traveled to clear because the indict-
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) the United States to speak ment remains under seal,
— Hungary’s populist at the Conservative Politi- but they stem from pay-
prime minister, Viktor Or- cal Action Conference, or ments made during the
ban, tweeted a message CPAC, in Texas. 2016 presidential cam-
of support for former U.S. “Keep on fighting, Mr. Presi- paign to silence claims of
President Donald Trump dent! We are with you,” Or- an extramarital sexual en-
on Monday, urging him to ban wrote in the tweet on counter. President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister
“keep on fighting” as he Monday. Trump is expected to sur- Viktor Orban to the White House in Washington, on May 13, 2019.
faces a criminal indictment Trump’s indictment by a render to authorities this Associated Press
for making hush payments Manhattan grand jury on week in the first criminal
during his 2016 presidential Friday was a historic reck- case ever brought against widespread network of offi- As Orban sought a fourth-
campaign. oning after years of inves- a former U.S. president, but cial corruption, was the first straight term as prime minis-
Orban’s post on Twitter fea- tigations into his personal, has denied any wrongdo- European national leader ter last year, Trump praised
tured a photograph of the political and business deal- ing. to publicly endorse Trump’s him as a “strong leader”
two men smiling and shak- ings, and an abrupt jolt to Orban, accused by his crit- presidential candidacy in who “truly loves his coun-
ing hands during a meet- his bid to retake the White ics of dismantling many of 2016, and voiced his sup- try,” and lauded his efforts
ing at Trump’s Bedminster, House. Hungary’s democratic in- port for Trump’s 2020 cam- to crack down on illegal
New Jersey, estate last Au- The exact nature of the stitutions and overseeing a paign as well. immigration.q