NNA – The United States will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as Washington boosts ties with Manila in the face of China#39;s growing assertiveness.
Blinken was in Manila with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washington#39;s latticework of alliances aimed at countering Beijing.
quot;We#39;re now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region,quot; Blinken told a joint news conference.
Blinken described it as a quot;once in a generation investmentquot; to help modernise the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.
quot;We#39;re building on a lot of progress the Philippines has already made to be better positioned to defend their sovereignty. That is what this is about.quot;
Blinken and Austin earlier met with President Ferdinand Marcos, who has taken a strong stand against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before holding quot;2+2quot; talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.
The latest high-level US visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.–AFP
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