Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos confirmed on Monday that his country would not allow any "offensive actions" from the bases that he made available to US forces.

Last week, Manila identified four additional military bases that the United States could use, one near the disputed South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.

Washington and Manila have been allies for decades and are linked by a 2014 defense treaty known as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. This treaty allows US forces to use five Philippine bases and store military equipment and materials there.
The number of these bases was increased to nine in February, but without specifying the locations of the four additional ones.

China warned last week that "the strengthening of (US forces) deployment in the region" would "inevitably lead to an increase in military tension and threaten regional peace and stability."

Marcos said Monday that China's reaction was "not surprising," but reassured Beijing that Manila was only working to bolster its territorial defense.

"We will not allow our bases to be used for any offensive actions. This is only intended to help the Philippines when we need help," he told reporters.

"If no one attacks us, they don't need to worry because we won't fight them," he added.

The United States seeks to strengthen its relations with Manila, after it has witnessed tension in recent years. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte preferred cooperation with China at the expense of Washington, the former colonizer of the Philippines.

But the new Philippine government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to strengthen its partnership with Washington, spurred on by Beijing's claims over Taiwan and the establishment of Chinese bases in the South China Sea.

Marcos' comments came in the wake of the third day of China's war games around Taiwan Monday, as it simulated a "full encirclement" of the self-ruled island.

The Chinese maneuvers, which began on Saturday, came as a protest against a meeting Wednesday in California with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.