US Ally Makes Military Plans Amid US-China Tensions

News Snapshot:

The Philippines' defense chief has called for the country to step up its military presence in the country's northernmost province of Batanes, which is less than 130 miles from Taiwan. During his visit to a Philippine naval base on Batanes' Mavulis Island Tuesday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the country would set a higher "operational tempo for the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)" beginning this year, according to local media. Under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the Philippines has taken a more hardline stance on China. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including areas...