PH, US reaffirm ‘ironclad’ alliance

EMBASSY PICKET Activists stage a die-in in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City earlier this month. —RICHARD A. REYES

Washington has backed Manila’s transparency policy, which exposes Beijing’s illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea, as the United States renewed its “ironclad commitment” to defend its ally under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in the face of growing regional tensions over Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

In a phone conversation on Thursday, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año discussed with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan the “escalatory and violent actions against Philippine servicemen” at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on June 17 that resulted in the wounding of a Philippine Navy sailor who lost his right thumb.

In a statement on Friday, the National Security Council (NSC) said Año told Sullivan Manila’s “firm resolve to protect its sovereign rights” in its exclusive economic zone, including its national interest.

READ: PH, Japan, US, Canada hold multilateral maritime activity in WPS

“The two NSAs also underscored the critical role of Manila’s transparency policy on the West Philippine Sea and the primacy of resolving disputes through peaceful means as well as upholding a rules-based international order,” the NSC said.

White House statement

In a separate statement, the White House said Año and Sullivan “shared concerns” over China’s “dangerous and escalatory actions” against Manila’s lawful maritime operations at Ayungin.

“Mr. Sullivan reiterated ironclad US commitment to the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, which extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft—to include those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea,” the White House said.

Under the MDT, Manila and Washington are committed to come to each other’s defense following an armed attack on either country.

Año thanked the United States for its continuing support and assurances of ironclad commitment to Manila and Washington’s alliance.

Año and Sullivan, according to the White House, have “reaffirmed the enduring friendship” between the Philippines and the United States and their “shared commitment to freedom of navigation and international law in the South China Sea.”

Close cooperation

“The two committed to continued close cooperation in support of their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said.

Año and Sullivan’s conversation came a day after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and US Defense chief Lloyd Austin III also had a phone conversation over the June 17 attack by China against Filipino troops at Ayungin.

The two defense chiefs made a commitment to “invest” more in the “rotational force posture” of American forces in the Philippines under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca), a Pentagon press statement said.

Edca allows American troops to be rotated for extended stays in the country and allows the United States to build and operate facilities in Philippine bases for US and Philippine use. INQ