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MANILA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned on Tuesday (Mar 19) that the USA stands by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines in opposition to armed assault within the South China Sea.
Blinken’s go to to Manila is his second since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took workplace in 2022 and is a part of a short Asia tour to bolster US help for regional allies in opposition to China.
Beijing claims nearly your complete South China Sea, brushing apart competing claims from a number of Southeast Asian nations, together with the Philippines, and a world ruling that has declared its stance baseless.
Blinken’s renewed defence pledge follows recent incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels close to disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian nation’s coast, together with collisions.
“These waterways are important to the Philippines, to its safety, to its financial system, however they’re additionally important to the pursuits of the area, the USA and the world,” Blinken mentioned at a joint press convention together with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo.
“That is why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defence commitments, together with underneath the mutual defence treaty.”
After Blinken’s remarks, China mentioned the USA has “no proper” to intervene within the South China Sea.
“The US will not be a celebration to the South China Sea subject and has no proper to intervene in maritime points which might be between China and the Philippines,” overseas ministry spokesman Lin Jian advised an everyday press convention.
Blinken’s journey comes forward of a trilateral meeting in Washington next month between US President Joe Biden, Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Saying the three-way summit with the Asia-Pacific allies, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned the leaders would push a “shared imaginative and prescient for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
In his assembly with Marcos, Blinken mentioned the alliance between the USA and the Philippines was “greater than rock strong” and was “an absolute precedence for President Biden”.
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