Philippines starts using Subic Bay as naval base to counter China

The Philippines has begun using Subic Bay facing the South China Sea as a naval base, the country's navy said this week in a move aimed at countering China's increasing assertiveness in the contested waters.One of the Philippine Navy's two guided-missile frigates was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the U.S. Navy withdrew from the strategic area about 80 kilometers west of the capital Manila.The base sits on the roughly 100-hectare plot of a former shipyard acquired by U.S. private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP that has been leased to the navy. It is po…READ FULL ARTICLE