US will build repair facilities for the Philippine navy near the disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The U.S. Navy will construct two facilities for the repair and maintenance of Philippine military boats in a province facing the South China Sea, where confrontations between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards have flared.

The U.S. Embassy said Wednesday the project that will take place at Oyster Bay and Quezon town in western Palawan province. It said in a statement that it underscored the treaty allies’ aim to maintain a “free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.”

Palawan faces the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, and is the headquarters of the Philippine military’s Western Command, which deploys navy patrol ships, surveillance vessels and aircraft to defend its territorial interests.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-simmering territorial disputes in the busy waterway, a flashpoint in the regional rivalry between the U.S. and China.

Washington has no territorial claims in the waters but has repeatedly stated that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

The U.S. military has separately constructed warehouses, barracks and other facilities in nine Philippine military camps, where rotating batches of American forces can stay and store weapons under a 2014 defense pact.

Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the U.S. Navy’s plan to construct the two facilities in Palawan province but it has long accused Washington of plotting with its allies to contain China’s rise.