A plan is under way to construct a US-funded civilian port in Batanes, the northernmost Philippine island province facing the critical channel separating the country from Taiwan, its governor said on Saturday.
Marilou Cayco said the US Army would arrive in late April to further discuss the new facility. The port could be an alternative to the existing one on the western side of Batan island, one of the three main islands in the province, she said in an interview at a Philippine navy event.
Batanes, the Philippines’ smallest province located less than 200 kilometres from Taiwan, holds strategic significance in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan, which the mainland views as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.
Cayco said that the plan, developed in coordination with the Philippine military, aims to accommodate Filipino workers fleeing Taiwan in the event of a crisis. Last month, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro expressed eagerness to bolster the military presence in Batanes.
On Saturday, the Philippine Navy held a ceremony in Batanes. The province is slated to be one of the locations for annual joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States in April and May. The move is expected to provoke a backlash from China.
China’s ambassador to Manila has said the Philippines is “stoking the fire” of tensions by offering expanded military base access to the United States, which Beijing accuses of attempting to interfere with its internal affairs concerning Taiwan.
Philippine Navy Vice Adm Toribio Adaci said in his speech on Saturday that the country needs to further improve its capabilities and boost its protection against possible threats of conquest or invasion.
Defense Secretary Teodoro on Saturday directed the military to enforce a new strategy to defend the country’s territory and economic interests, days after the latest clash with Chinese ships in the disputed South China Sea.
Earlier this week, four Filipino personnel were injured after two Chinese coast guard vessels used water cannons against a ship chartered by the Philippine military for a resupply operation.Philippine and Chinese ships collided as Chinese vessels made “dangerous blocking manoeuvres”, Manila said.