Philippines starts using Subic Bay facing South China Sea as naval base to counter China’s growing assertiveness

A Philippines Navy guided-missile frigate was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the US Navy withdrew from the area

Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute, and there has been a renewed appreciation of the bay’s strategic importance

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The Philippines has begun using Subic Bay facing the South China Sea as a naval base in a move aimed at countering China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested waters. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:54pm, 27 May 2022Updated: 3:58pm, 27 May 2022

The Philippines has begun using Subic Bay facing the South China Sea as a naval base, the country’s navy said this week in a move aimed at countering China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested waters.

One of the Philippine Navy’s two guided-missile frigates was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the US Navy withdrew from the strategic area about 80 kilometres west of the capital Manila.

The base sits on the roughly 100-hectare plot of a former shipyard acquired by US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP that has been leased to the navy. It is possible the US military will seek joint use of the facility, which is located across the bay from the site of the former US naval base.

The Philippine Air Force, meanwhile, plans to station aircraft at Subic Bay International Airport to monitor and respond to maritime disputes, according to a Subic Bay port official. The airport used to form part of the US base.

Following the United States withdrawal in November 1992, the former naval base was turned into a sprawling port known as Subic Bay Freeport. But amid heightened tensions in the nearby waters, where Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute, there has been a renewed appreciation of the bay’s strategic importance.

Rolen Paulino, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, which oversees the port, said in an interview that Subic Bay has become “more important” given its “strategic location.”

The rest of the Navy fleet may move into the base “within the year,” Paulino said, adding that he welcomes port calls by US and Japanese naval vessels.

Philippines starts using Subic Bay facing South China Sea as naval base to counter China’s growing assertiveness

A Philippines Navy guided-missile frigate was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the US Navy withdrew from the area Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute, and there has been a renewed appreciation of the bay’s strategic importance

A Philippines Navy guided-missile frigate was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the US Navy withdrew from the area

Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute, and there has been a renewed appreciation of the bay’s strategic importance