Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) — The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to stand with the Philippines against any form of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the statement during Wednesday’s joint media briefing with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge Carlito Galvez Jr.
“Secretary Austin and I also reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to standing with the Philippines against any intimidation or coercion including in the South China Sea,” Blinken said.
He also called the Philippine-US alliance an “enduring source of strength” for both countries, highlighting their stronger ties through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The extent of the United States’ use of new EDCA sites in the Philippines, however, will still have to be discussed, Manalo said during a forum in Washington on Tuesday when he was asked if the Philippines will allow the US to store its military assets for the defense of Taiwan.
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“I don’t think we’re really at any stage yet to answer on how they might be used. They are still open for discussion,” the country’s top diplomat explained.
US and Philippine officials insist that the EDCA sites and the ongoing largest Balikatan military exercises in the Philippines are mainly for the enhancement of interoperability between the nations.
China has warned that an expanded military cooperation with the US will only endanger regional peace and stability, “drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development.”
The East Asian giant recently launched military drills around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from her visit to the US where she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
