US strengthens alliance with Philippines with military funding, pact amid China concerns

JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press

31 minutes ago

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by, from left, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Marykay Carlson, Philippine Air Force Maj. Gen. Pablo Rustria, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of U.S. Affairs Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez and Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Chief of Protocol Ambassador Ariel Penaranda after arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, Monday, July 29, 2024. (Lisa Marie David/Pool Photo via AP)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Washington’s top diplomat and defense chief, in Manila for talks Tuesday, will announce $500 million in military funding to bolster Philippine defenses and move forward on a proposed military pact, as China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the region “will not stop,” a Philippine official said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has strengthened Manila’s decades-long treaty alliance with Washington, amid mounting hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces in the disputed South China Sea since last year. Marcos has stressed the need for a U.S. military presence for stability and peace in Asia.

After the most violent confrontation between Philippine and Chinese troops on June 17 at the Philippine-held Second Thomas Shoal, the countries announced an agreement last week on a temporary arrangement to prevent such clashes in the future. Philippine troops on Saturday airlifted food and other supplies and a fresh batch of naval personnel to Manila’s territorial outpost at the shoal, which is heavily guarded by Beijing’s troops, but for the first time no clashes were reported.

The Philippines, however, would continue to strengthen its territorial defense with the help of the US and other friendly military powers and forge new security alliances, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

“The non-confrontational supply and rotation is purely temporary. The People’s Republic of China will not stop and we are equally determined,” Romualdez told The Associated Press.

The $500 million in U.S. military funding announced by Austin in Manila would include funding for various Philippine naval assets. About $125 million would be used for construction and other improvements in areas within Philippine military bases occupied by U.S. troops under the longtime treaty partners’ 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Romualdez said, adding that the funds were approved with strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress.

US military funding could double next year, “depending on our ability to absorb it,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez said progress in negotiations on a proposed military pact, the General Agreement on the Security of Military Information, would also be high on the agenda of talks between Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

The deal, which Washington has struck with other allied countries, would allow the U.S. to provide high-level intelligence and more advanced weapons, including missile systems, to the Philippines, with the guarantee that such intelligence and details about advanced weapons would be kept secret in a highly secure manner to prevent leaks, a Philippine official told AP on condition of anonymity because of his lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.

Efforts by the Philippines to obtain advanced weapons from the U.S. military, including during a major siege of the southern Muslim city of Marawi by militants linked to Islamic State in 2017, were 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. Numerous countries 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 endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Both Republicans and Democrats are in complete agreement on the Philippines,” he said, adding that both parties have given their assurances of continued support to Manila.

Last year, Marcos approved an expansion of the U.S. military presence in four more Philippine military camps under the 2014 defense agreement. Under his administration, the country has seen the largest war exercises between Philippine and U.S. troops, sparking opposition and concern from China, which said a larger deployment of U.S. troops would jeopardize regional peace and security.

Marcos, Teodoro and the Philippine military responded by saying that the Philippines has the right to take measures to protect its territorial interests and national security.