November 21, 2025 | 7:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A United States congressional body has recommended that Taiwan bankroll improvements to Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines, a proposal it believes will boost Washington’s ability to defend the self-ruled island from a potential invasion from China.
In a report released earlier this week, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission urged Congress to direct the State Department to set up an arrangement allowing Taiwan to pay for infrastructure upgrades and support services — not weapons — at EDCA sites in Luzon and Palawan.
This funding, according to the commission’s report, would go through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
The commission was established in 2000 to advise lawmakers on China policy issues.
Funding to pass through US military sales
Under the proposal, Taiwan would fund the projects in the Philippines — along with similar efforts in Japan’s southwestern islands and Pacific Island nations that recognize Taipei — to strengthen US’ regional posture and deterrence capacity around Taiwan.
Through this initiative, Taiwan would “fund projects in third countries, ultimately benefiting its own security,” the report read.
“Such investments would make sense for Taipei because they are directly related to the US ability to defend Taiwan, if the political decision was made to do so,” Randall Schriver, the commission’s vice chairperson, was quoted as saying in a Nikkei Asia report.
Schriver, a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said using the Foreign Military Sales program would provide “political cover” to Taiwan, which may not want to be seen as directly spending to upgrade a Philippine base.
The recommendation for Taiwan is one of 28 proposals the commission included in its annual report to Congress.
The commission also urged Congress to pass a wide-ranging package to help the Philippines counter China’s “military aggression and malign influence,” saying Washington must strengthen Manila’s front-line defenses while deepening economic and security cooperation.
In the same report, the panel said lawmakers should ensure the Philippines Coast Guard — often the target of Chinese harassment in the South China Sea — is “prioritized” in foreign military financing and continues receiving support from capacity-building programs run by the State, Defense, and Homeland Security departments. Those efforts are currently funded through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The commission recommended that Congress push the State Department to establish a “Quad Plus” mechanism that would give the Philippines a seat in discussions on gray-zone and “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive” activities. It also called for expanded US assistance on cybersecurity, saying Manila needs help defending government networks and critical infrastructure from attacks.
On defense industry cooperation, the commission recommended investments to strengthen shipbuilding and repair in the Philippines alongside partners such as Japan and South Korea, including measures that would expand the country’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities.
Sensitive EDCA politics
The proposal for Taiwan to finance upgrades at EDCA sites touches on one of the most sensitive pieces of the US-Philippines’ security alliance.
EDCA is a 2014 agreement that allows the US to rotate troops through select Philippine bases and build facilities like warehouses, runways and fuel storage there. The sites remain Philippine-owned, but the pact expands US troops’ access for joint training.
There are currently nine EDCA sites nationwide: Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana in Cagayan, Lal-lo Airport also in Cagayan, Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu in Isabela and Balabac Island in Palawan.
Four of nine sites were opened under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has chosen to widen the US’ footprint in the country at a time of rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Both Manila and Washington frame EDCA as essential to rapid disaster response and regional deterrence. But EDCA has also faced criticism from human rights defenders who warn that increased US military presence in the country could further inflame tensions with China.
Besides the sovereignty aspect, there are also concerns that the continued presence of American soldiers in the country will have social costs.