Blinken Vows to Stand By Philippines Amid China Tensions
(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to bolster America’s alliance with the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling the Southeast Asian nation an “irreplaceable” ally as tensions between the US and China spike.
Blinken, the first US cabinet official to visit the new Philippine leader, reiterated in a meeting with Marcos on Saturday America’s commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which pledged support in case of foreign attack.
“We always stand by our partners. It’s important to remember that,” Blinken said in a joint briefing with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, as the top diplomat repeated the US’s “ironclad” commitment to the defense pact. An armed attack against the Philippines would invoke the pact and US would be there to defend it, he said.
The Philippines has locked horns with China over the past few years over Beijing’s increasing presence in the resource-rich South China Sea. Marcos has said that he will not cede “even a square inch of territory” to any foreign power. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in July met with Marcos and the two sides pledged to maintain a strong relationship.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/blinken-vows-to-stand-by-philippines-amid-china-tensions/ar-AA10mgCJ