Bangkok, July 30 (EFE).- The United States’ Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday with the aim of “expanding” the alliance between the two countries amid tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea.
The meeting highlights “the historic strength of the US-Philippines Alliance, which both countries are expanding and modernizing in support of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US secretary of state said in a statement.
Both Blinken and Austin reaffirmed the US’ support for the defense of the sovereignty of the Philippines, which is locked in a dispute with China over several territories in the South China Sea.
During their meeting with Marcos Jr., the US officials discussed the “importance of preserving the rights of all nations to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows,” the statement said.
The US and the Philippines have maintained a mutual defense treaty since 1951, which Washington asserts includes attacks that occur in the South China Sea.
In recent months, Philippine and Chinese ships have been involved in incidents in disputed areas of these waters.
One of the most serious incidents occurred last month near the Second Thomas Shoal, claimed by Manila and Beijing, during a mission to supply naval warship Sierra Madre that the Philippines maintains there.
The Philippine military accused the Chinese Coast Guard of surrounding and boarding the supply ship, causing serious injuries to one of its sailors, deliberately puncturing its inflatable boats, and seizing its weapons.
Marcos, however, deemed that the incident fell short of invoking the defense agreement with Washington.
At the beginning of July, Manila and Beijing reached a “provisional agreement” to allow the delivery of food and rations for the Philippine troops stationed on the Sierra Madre, which the Philippines ran aground on Second Thomas in 1999 to reinforce its territorial claim.
In addition to this shoal, both countries also dispute the sovereignty of Scarborough Reef and several islands in the Spratly archipelago, where Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan also have claims.
The Philippine authorities claimed that the shoals are within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of their exclusive economic zone, which under international law gives them the right to exploit resources there even though they are international waters.
Beijing cites historical reasons to support its claim over almost the entire South China Sea, rich in resources and key to world trade.
Blinken’s visit to the Philippines is part of an Asian tour that has already taken him to Vietnam, Laos, and Japan.
He will also travel to Singapore and Mongolia to reaffirm the US’ commitment to its Asian partners while Austin’s program includes visits to Japan and the Philippines. EFE
pav/am/pd