As he reiterated his support for the Southeast Asian nation on Tuesday ( Nov 19 ), US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the US partnership with the Philippines would transcend changes in government.
Austin stated in a press event while visiting the Philippines ‘ Western Command on Palawan, which is next to the South China Sea, that the country will be significant to the United States for many years.
Gilberto Teodoro, the Pentagon’s captain, reiterated Washington’s pledges to the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, while Austin and his Spanish rival expressed concern about China’s behavior in the South China Sea.
Austin claimed that the treaty may also cover military attacks in the South China Sea, where it was claimed that China had allegedly used dangerous and aggressive tactics to assert its broad claims.
In recent years, there have been numerous disputes between the Philippines and China over disputed features in Manila’s exclusive economic zone, which has raised local concerns about an error and an escalation at sea.
China is at conflict with its neighbors in Southeast Asia because it has control over nearly the whole South China Sea, which is a hub for more than US$ 3 trillion in ship-based business each year.