MANILA : Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warmly received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila on Tuesday, highlighting the importance of ongoing and transparent engagement between the Philippines and the United States. This visit underscores the need for a nimble response to the persistent tensions in the South China Sea.

Since taking office in 2022, Marcos has shifted the Philippines closer to the US, a notable change from the previous administration. On Tuesday, he welcomed Blinken and Austin at Malacañang Palace for what marks the first “2+2” meetings between the two countries, involving discussions with their Filipino counterparts, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

Marcos emphasized the value of open communication to effectively manage the alliance and adapt to evolving situations in the West Philippine Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific region. “I’m always very pleased that our communication lines remain open, allowing us to continuously review and adjust our collaborative efforts,” Marcos said.

Blinken echoed this sentiment, describing the talks as a demonstration of the “steady drumbeat” of high-level engagement between the US and the Philippines. “We are truly grateful for this partnership,” Blinken told Marcos.

The Philippines, like several Southeast Asian nations, claims portions of the South China Sea, a region where China asserts nearly total control. Tensions have escalated, particularly around Second Thomas Shoal, a key area about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan. Manila regularly resupplies a grounded vessel there, which has become a flashpoint. Last month, a Filipino sailor was injured in a confrontation with the Chinese coastguard, which Manila has labeled as an “intentional high-speed ramming.”

Although the Philippines declined US assistance offers, it recently reached a provisional arrangement with China to manage their differences, though details of the agreement remain undisclosed.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller noted that Blinken and Austin discussed their joint commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea. The US officials reiterated their “ironclad” commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Following their Manila visit, Blinken and Austin traveled to Japan, where they announced enhancements to the US military command and identified China as the “greatest strategic challenge” in the region. Their Japan visit also included a meeting of the Quad group—comprising the US, Japan, Australia, and India—which condemned China's assertive actions in the South China Sea, contrary to a 2016 international court ruling.

China responded by accusing the Quad of exacerbating tensions and interfering with other countries' development.

During their visit, the Pentagon announced $500 million in foreign military financing for the Philippines as part of a broader $2 billion aid package for Asia-Pacific nations facing Chinese aggression. The Pentagon also proposed $128 million for infrastructure upgrades at Philippine bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). With nine sites now under EDCA, Manila has agreed to expand this to include four additional sites, crucial for strategic positioning in case of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Additionally, the US and the Philippines are working on a General Security of Military Information Agreement, aimed to be finalized by the end of 2023, though it has yet to be concluded.

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