US announces $500 million in military aid to Philippines amid South China Sea tensions
MANILA: The United States on Tuesday announced $500 million in military funding to modernize the Philippine military as the allies agreed to strengthen security cooperation amid continuing tensions. Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.
The funding was announced after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met in Manila with their Philippine counterparts, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Secretary -guard Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
“We are now providing an additional $500 million in foreign military funding to the Philippines to strengthen defense cooperation with our oldest partner in the region — a step news to strengthen unity, a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the Philippine Army and Coast Guard,” Blinken told reporters.
The US commitment to increase defense assistance to the Philippines comes after a naval clash between Chinese coast guard vessels and Philippine vessels in strategic waters claimed by Beijing for him.
“My wife and I share concerns, and so do many other countries in the region, about some of the actions of the People's Republic of China, the escalating actions in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and elsewhere.”
Last month, China's coast guard rammed and boarded a Philippine navy ship during its supply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal, a stretch of disputed waters that has become the focal point between the two countries.
The United States and the Philippines have a defense treaty and Washington has repeatedly warned that a Chinese attack on Philippine vessels could trigger a US military response.
“This level of funding is unprecedented and sends a clear message of support to the Philippines from the (Joe) Biden-(Kamala) Harris administration, the US Congress and the American people,” he said. Austin.
“During our meeting, we also confirmed that the defense agreement remains the cornerstone of our partnership. And let me be clear, the defense treaty applies to armed attacks on armed forces, aircraft or ships anywhere in the South China Sea.
Manila and Beijing have competing claims to the resource-rich waterway, through which much of the world's trade and oil moves.
China has increased its military operations in the area in recent years, with the country's coast guard regularly encroaching on Philippine waters. This is despite a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague rejecting Beijing's claim.
On Tuesday, the Philippines and the United States agreed to strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity and other areas, seeking to make the Southeast Asian country more resilient to external threats.
“Every peso or dollar spent on strengthening the Philippines' ability to defend itself and deter illegal aggression will be a boon to any threat, be it China or whoever,” Teodoro said. He added that the new funding will increase the Philippines' humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities.
“So it is not a mono-dimensional investment but a multi-dimensional one that will help the development of the country and help prevent unnecessary and illegal violence by building a credible deterrent.”
Don McLain Gill, a professor of international studies at De La Salle University in Manila, said US security assistance is “important” to both countries.
“The $500 million in military funding is very important for the Philippines as it seeks to implement the concept of island-wide self-defense, which is implemented by the military and led by, you know, the Filipino program… a strong force to protect the waters of the Philippines,” he told Arab News.
“This is a positive initiative and an important development in the US-Philippines alliance, and the role of the United States as a capacity builder and security provider.”
