US now has gained access to Philippine sites near Taiwan amid China row

MANILA, April 4 (Bloomberg): The Philippines has identified four new sites that the US will have access to under an expanded defense agreement, with three of them near Taiwan and a fourth facing the disputed South China Sea as tensions with Beijing persist.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the main goal for the four extra sites is "to defend the country’s eastern coast,” according to a statement from his communications office Monday.