US Can’t Use Philippines Bases for China Offensive, Marcos Says

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the US can’t use military bases in his country for “offensive action” against China in the event of a future war over Taiwan, as the Southeast Asian nation continues to balance strengthening American defense ties with increasing pressure from Beijing.

Covid Rise Tests Malaysia Hospitals as Philippines Reopens Wards

Rising Covid cases are threatening to overstrain Malaysia’s crowded hospitals and the Philippines reopened its coronavirus treatment wards amid a surge in Southeast Asia, underscoring the need for governments to adjust to the disease’s ebb and flow in a world now living with the virus.