MANILA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Tuesday ( Mar 19 ) that the country continues to uphold its “ironclad” commitments to protect its long-time allies from armed attacks in the South China Sea.
Blinken’s visit to Manila is his subsequent since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022, and it is a part of a small Asia tour to show the US support for local allies in the face of China.
Beijing ignores competing claims from many East Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an global decision that has declared its position to be baseless. It also brushes away competing claims from many Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines.
Following new collisions and collisions involving Philippine and Chinese vessels off the coast of Southeast Asia, Blinken’s renewed defense pledge comes as a result of these incidents.
” These waters are vital to the Philippines, to its protection, to its market, but they’re even critical to the objectives of the region, the United States and the globe”, Blinken said at a joint press conference with his Spanish rival Enrique Manalo.
” That’s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our impenetrable military agreements, including under the common army treaty”.
After Blinken’s notes, China said the United States has” not right” to interfere in the South China Sea.
According to a typical press conference, US Ambassador Lin Jian stated that the country has no authority to impede with China and the Philippines ‘ coastal affairs.
Blinken’s vacation comes back of a multilateral meeting between Joe Biden, Marcos, and Fumio Kishida, the president of the United States, in Washington, next month.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the leaders had “push a shared perspective for a free and open Indo-Pacific” when they announced the three-way conference with the Asia-Pacific friends.
Blinken stated in his conference with Marcos that the United States-Philippines alliance was “more than rock good” and that Biden had given it an absolute priority.