Manila, Philippines — Washington’s top diplomat and defense chief, who is in Manila for talks on Tuesday, will announce $500 million in military funding to boost Philippine defenses and progress on a proposed military pact, as increasingly aggressive moves of China in the region “will not stop,” a Philippine official said. saying.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has strengthened Manila’s decades-old alliance treaty with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces have broken out since last year in the disputed South China Sea.
Marcos welcomed Blinken and Austin and praised the “very open” lines of communication between Washington and Manila so that their alliance treaty and issues in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region “are continually examined and re-examined.” so that we are agile in terms of our responses.”
Blinken, along with Austin, expressed their condolences for the dozens of deaths caused by monsoon rains worsened by typhoon in recent weeks and offered American assistance.
Blinked said there was “really evidence of a steady pace, of very high-level engagements between our countries that cover the full range of issues and opportunities that bring us together, not just security-wise but economically as well.”
Marcos has stressed the need for a US military presence for stability and peace in Asia.
The Philippines and China reached a temporary agreement last week to avoid confrontations like the violent confrontation between their forces on June 17 at Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal. Filipino forces transported food and other supplies and a new group of navy personnel. Saturday to Manila’s territorial outpost on the sandbar, which has been closely guarded by Beijing’s forces, but for the first time no clashes were reported.
The Philippines, however, would continue to strengthen its territorial defense with the help of the United States and other friendly military powers and build new security alliancessaid Philippine Ambassador to the United States José Manuel Romualdez.
“Resupply and rotation without confrontation are purely temporary. The People’s Republic of China will not stop and we are also determined,” Romualdez told The Associated Press.
The $500 million in US military funding that Austin will announce in Manila would include funding for various equipment for the Philippine navy. About $125 million would be used for construction and other improvements in areas within Philippine military bases that will be occupied by U.S. forces under the long-time treaty allies’ 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, he said. Romualdez, adding that the funds were approved with strong bipartisan support in the US Congress.
US military funding may double next year “depending on our ability to absorb it.” Romualdez said.
Progress in negotiations on a proposed military pact, the Comprehensive Military Information Security Agreement, would also be high on the agenda in talks between Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Romualdez said.
The agreement, which Washington has forged with other allied countries, would allow the United States to provide high-level intelligence and more sophisticated weapons, including missile systems, to the Philippines with the guarantee that such intelligence and details about sophisticated weapons would be kept secret. in a highly secure manner to prevent leaks, a Philippine official told AP on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly.
The Philippines’ efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons from the US military in the past, including during a major siege by militants aligned with the Islamic State group in the southern Islamic city of Marawi in 2017, have been hampered by the lack of such an agreement, the official said.
Meanwhile, Romualdez said, “absolutely,” that US support for the Philippines would not change regardless of who becomes the next US president. have expressed concerns about the implications of former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January after President Joe Biden withdrew and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Both Republicans and Democrats are totally on board with the Philippines,” he said, adding that both sides have given assurances to continue supporting Manila.
In his meeting with Blinken and Austin, Marcos alluded to the intense political problems experienced in the United States ahead of this year’s presidential elections.
“I’m a little surprised considering how interesting your political situation in the United States has become, but I’m glad you found the time to come visit us,” Marcos said.
Marcos last year approved an expansion of the US military presence in four more Philippine military camps under the 2014 defense agreement and the largest war drills between Philippine and US forces have been carried out under his administration in the country, which sparked opposition and alarm from China, which said further deployment of US forces would jeopardize regional peace and security.
Marcos, Teodoro and the Philippine military have responded to that by saying that the Philippines has the right to act to safeguard its territorial interests and national security.
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Lee reported from Singapore.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
