The Philippine government announced that the United States could use 4 additional military bases in the Philippines.
Manila has located the bases, including one near the South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.
The presidential communications office said the four sites were suitable and could be used to achieve mutual benefits.
In February, the United States and the Philippines announced an agreement allowing U.S. soldiers to use four more bases in the Southeast Asian country, which, like its longtime ally, is seeking to counter China's military rise.
Philippine and U.S. officials said in a joint statement that Washington and Manila had agreed to expand an existing agreement to include four new sites "in strategic areas of the country."
The two countries have been linked by a decades-long security alliance, including a mutual defense treaty and a 2014 enhanced defense cooperation agreement, which allows U.S. forces to be present at five Philippine bases, including those near disputed waters.
The agreement also allows the U.S. military to store defense equipment and supplies at those bases.
At the time, China's Foreign Ministry said a strong military deployment in the region could increase tensions.
Washington is sticking to a Cold War mentality and boosting military deployments in the region, the ministry said, noting that some parties in the United States are trying to use Taiwan to contain China.