An Australian defense and security expert has suggested that the Philippines build a military base on Pag-asa, an island situated on the disputed Spratly archipelago.
Carlyle Thayer, a professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales and the Australian Defense Force Academy, said that opening a military base on the island would be a major demonstration of the country’s sovereignty over the region.
It could also send a strong message to China, which claims all islands on the archipelago.
Internationally known as Thitu, the Pag-asa island is located 277 miles (445 kilometers) from western city of Puerto Princesa and is a home to more than 400 Filipinos.
It is also 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from China’s military base in an artificial island in Subi Reef.
Strengthen Cooperation
Apart from building a military base on Pag-asa, Thayer also said that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should strengthen the country’s military cooperation with Australia and Japan.
Both Canberra and Tokyo view Beijing’s actions on the contested South China Sea as “unacceptable.”
Bolstering cooperation with other countries is “provocative” to China because it threatens its “illegal” occupation in the region, the professor said.
Earlier this year, Marcos issued a decision that allows the US to access four more military bases in the Philippines as part of the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.