US support for Philippines ‘ironclad’

Manila – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the US stands by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea.

Blinken’s visit to Manila is his second since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and is part of a brief Asia tour to reinforce US support for regional allies against China.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that has declared its stance baseless.

Blinken’s renewed defence pledge follows recent incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country’s coast, including collisions.

“These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world,” Blinken said.

“That’s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defence commitments, including under the mutual defence treaty.”

After Blinken’s remarks, China said the US has “no right” to interfere in the South China Sea.

“The United States is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in maritime issues that are between China and the Philippines,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

Blinken’s trip comes ahead of a meeting in Washington next month between US President Joe Biden, Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The leaders would push a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. –

These waterways are critical to security, economy