US Army to Help Build New Seaport Near China

The U.S. Army is set to help build a new civilian seaport in the strategic Philippine province of Batanes. The Southeast Asian country is building the U.S.-funded port with an eye toward receiving fleeing Philippine nationals in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, ABS-CBN News reported Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco as saying. This development follows reports from last year about the U.S. military’s interest in constructing port facilities in the Batanes Islands, situated less than 130 miles from Taiwan. The self-governed island is claimed by China, which has vowed to annex it by any means necessary, raising the stakes…