Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suspended the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement for another six months to allow both sides to address his concerns.
Talks between Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and the Philippine defense and foreign secretaries centered on "deepening our alliance and supporting a free and open South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region."
Other Asian nations with large populations of expatriate labor may weigh similar decisions after Iran fired missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces.
The row over the disputed waters — a major global shipping route thought to be rich in oil and gas reserves — has for years marred China's relationship with the Philippines and other neighboring countries with rival territorial claim