MANILA — The US military will have greater access to bases across the Philippines under a new 10-year agreement to be signed Monday in conjunction with President Obama’s visit and viewed as an effort by Washington to counter Chinese aggression in the region.
US and Philippine officials confirmed the deal ahead of Obama’s stop and portrayed it is as a central part of his weeklong Asia swing.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement would give American forces temporary access to selected military camps and allow them to pre-position fighter jets and ships.
It is to be signed Monday at the main military camp in the Philippine capital, Manila, before Obama arrives on the last leg of a four-country Asian tour, following stops in Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.
A Philippine government primer on the defense accord that was seen by the Associated Press did not indicate how many additional US troops would be deployed ‘‘on temporary and rotational basis.’’ It said that the number would depend on the scale of joint military activities to be held in the camps.
The size and duration of that presence has to be worked out with the Philippine government, said Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the White House’s National Security Council.
Medeiros declined to say which specific areas in the Philippines are being considered under the agreement, but said the long-shuttered US facility at Subic Bay could be one of the locations.
Two Philippine officials confirmed the accord to the AP before the White House announcement. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the pact before it was signed.
In Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Obama pressed the Malaysian government to improve its human rights record and appealed to Southeast Asia’s youth to stand up for the rights of minorities and the rule of law.
Yet Obama skipped a golden chance to promote that human rights agenda, declining to meet with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Instead, he directed national security adviser Susan Rice to see Anwar on Monday.
Obama said his decision was ‘‘not indicative of our lack of concern’’ about the former deputy prime minister who recently was convicted for the second time on sodomy charges, which the US and international human rights groups contend are politically motivated.
Obama said he had raised his concerns about Malaysia’s restrictions on political freedoms in meetings with Prime Minister Najib Razak. He called the prime minister a ‘‘reformer’’ committed to addressing human rights issues.
To his critics, Najib said: ‘‘Don’t underestimate or diminish whatever we have done.’’
The defense accord between the United States and the Philippines would help the allies achieve different goals.
With its anemic military, the Philippines has struggled to bolster its territorial defense amid China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the disputed South China Sea.
Manila’s effort has dovetailed with Washington’s intention to pivot away from years of heavy military engagement in the Middle East to Asia, partly as a counterweight to China’s rising clout.