The United States and the Philippines announce a deal to give US troops access to another four bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as the longtime allies seek to counter China's military rise. The agreement to expand cooperation in strategic areas of the country was made during a visit by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. "We're pleased to announce today that President Marcos has approved four new (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) locations and that brings the total number of EDCA sites to nine," Austin says during a news conference with his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez. IMAGES