Washington: According to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the United States plans to construct four new military facilities "scattered" throughout the Philippines, at least one of which will be located close to a disputed island chain that is claimed by China and a number of other countries.

The Philippine president provided more information about the new installations, which were first unveiled as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with Washington, in a statement to reporters on Wednesday. But he insisted that he would withhold their precise location until the US and another country made a formal announcement.

He added that the bases would help to defend the nation's largest island, Luzon. "There are four additional sites scattered throughout the Philippines - some in the north, some around Palawan, and some further south," he said.

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The disputed Spratly archipelago, also known by a number of other local names in the South China Sea, is located about 200 miles (320 kilometres) east of Palawan, one of the westernmost regions of the Philippines. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines are among the six nations that have staked claims to portions of the small island chain, but US officials have repeatedly rejected Beijing's claims as "illegal."

Meanwhile, given its close proximity to the autonomous island, which China considers to be part of its sovereign territory, American bases on Luzon are likely to be constructed with Taiwan in mind. Although Washington had for a long time maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" towards Taipei, President Joe Biden deviated from that course, making it clear that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin argued that military cooperation between nations should be "conducive to regional peace and stability and not targeted at or harmful to the interests of any third party" when questioned about the plans for the new bases during a press briefing on Wednesday.

He added that "Regional countries need to remain vigilant and avoid being used by the US" because the US side is "trapped in a zero-sum mentality and keeps increasing military deployment in the Asia-Pacific." Then, without going into further detail, President Marcos warned of a "complex" and "unpredictable" security environment in the area, noting that he was aware of a "emerging threat" that would necessitate "adjustments in our strategy."

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The US was initially allowed to build five military bases around the Philippines under the 2014 EDCA, but the agreement has recently been expanded to include four more "strategic" locations. Washington has already invested $82 million in the first five buildings and is still building bases that will eventually serve as the site of rotating troop deployments.