Marcos: US military access to more bases in Philippines not intended for action against any country

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday his agreement earlier this year to grant the U.S. military access to more military bases in his country was not intended for use for offensive actions against any country.

Speaking to a U.S. think-tank in Washington, Marcos said he had made that point to Chinese officials during a recent visit. He also said the U.S. had not asked the Philippines to provide troops in case of war between China and the U.S. over Taiwan.

(Reporting By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick)