MANILA: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned on Tuesday (Nov 19) that the US alliance with the Philippines will transcend adjustments in administrations, reiterating his assist for the Southeast Asian nation.
The Philippines will stay an necessary nation for the United States for a few years, Austin mentioned at a information convention throughout a go to to the Philippine Army’s Western Command on the island of Palawan, close to the South China Sea.
Both Austin and Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro have expressed concern over China’s conduct within the South China Sea, with the Pentagon chief reiterating Washington’s protection commitments to the Philippines underneath the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
Austin mentioned the treaty would additionally cowl armed assaults within the South China Sea, the place he mentioned China has used harmful and escalatory measures to attempt to implement its expansive claims.
The Philippines and China have been embroiled in repeated clashes over disputed options inside Manila’s unique financial zone in recent times, sparking regional considerations over miscalculation and escalation at sea.
China claims sovereignty over practically all the South China Sea, a conduit for greater than $3 trillion in annual maritime commerce, placing it at odds with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
