US Army to help build new seaport in Philippines’ Batanes Province near Taiwan
Facility will be critical for evacuation of overseas Filipino workers in case of possible conflict with China
By Duncan DeAeth | Taiwan News | March 10, 2024 2:59PM
The pier at the Port of Basco in Batanes, Philippines (Wikimedia Commons photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. military is preparing to help fund new port facilities in Batanes Province of the Philippines, which is located less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan.
The U.S. Army is planning to send a delegation to the province in late April to discuss plans for the new port facility, reported Kyodo News. The Governor of Batanes Province Marilou Cayco reportedly discussed the new port construction project at an event organized by the Philippine Navy last week.
News of the new port project with U.S. support is in line with Manila’s announcement in early February that it plans to bolster the nation’s defensive capacity in the region. Plans moved forward last week with news that 126 naval reservists have been called up for active duty and deployed to bases in the province.
Thousands of overseas Filipino workers reside in Taiwan, and in the event of a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Manila would consider the safe evacuation of its citizens a priority. The planned port facility will be designed with the rapid evacuation of these workers in mind, reported UDN.
The exact location of the new port has not been announced, but will likely be northward facing. The province’s current largest port, the Basco Seaport, faces westward.
Manila’s plans to strengthen the region’s infrastructure and defensive capacity will also likely involve refurbishing and modernizing many of the province’s minor ports.
Source: Taiwan News
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