Secretary Blinken, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meet with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro, and Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo M. Ano at the Department of State in Washington, US, April 12, 2024.
The officials spoke at a meeting between US and Philippines defence and foreign secretaries and their national security advisers, a day after leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines met at the White House to push back against Beijing's increased pressure on Manila. Two prominent US senators this week introduced a bipartisan bill to provide Manila with US$2.5 billion over five years, funding needed to modernise the US ally's long-neglected armed forces.
China uses a so-called nine-dash line that takes in about 90 per cent of the South China Sea to assert its claim to sovereignty over nearly all of the strategic waterway, and has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels in patrols against rival claimants. In a series of Washington summits this week, the allied leaders unveiled a wide range of pacts to boost security and economic ties in the face of China's growing might.