(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines aims to boost military presence and infrastructure in the country’s northernmost province near Taiwan, according to its defense chief, amid tensions with Beijing over the South China Sea.

“Starting 2024, the operational tempo for the AFP will be higher,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was quoted as saying on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Teodoro, who was accompanied by military chief Romeo Brawner Jr. and other officials, made the comments after visiting a naval detachment in Batanes province where a naval base is also being constructed.

Teodoro called for increased military presence and the development of more structures in Batanes, which he described in the Feb. 6 statement as the “spearhead of the Philippines as far as the northern baseline is concerned.” Batanes is about 200 kilometers from Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own. 

The defense chief’s comments underscore the Southeast Asian nation’s efforts to build its security capability as tensions with Beijing flared up in recent months, with their vessels facing off in the South China Sea amid competing territorial claims in the resource-rich waterway.

“The visit highlights the importance of fortifying our territorial defense capabilities to ensure the overall safety and integrity of our nation,” according to the military statement, which did not provide details of the plan.

The Philippines and the US resumed joint patrols in November that began near the province and ended in the South China Sea. Teodoro has said more joint patrols may happen in the future.

In October, the Philippine Navy inaugurated the naval detachment on Mavulis Island in Batanes, an area that’s also being considered as a possible site for the annual US-Philippines military exercises this year.

Teodoro also sought increased cooperation between the military and local government units “to protect stakeholders such as fisherfolk and other maritime related agencies in order for them to feel safer,” the statement said.

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