US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with new Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in Manila on Saturday and praised the “strong” alliance between the two countries.
“The alliance is strong and I think it can become even stronger,” the head of US diplomacy told Marcos Jr, who took office on June 30.
The United States and the Philippines maintain a security pact that allows the US military to access and store military equipment at certain bases in the country.
In addition, Washington supports its former colony in the territorial disputes that oppose it to Beijing in the South China Sea.
Washington’s commitment to the mutual defense pact is “unwavering,” Blinken told reporters. “We are always on the side of our partners,” he continued. “It’s important to underscore it because of what’s happening north of here in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Blinken’s visit to the archipelago comes amid tensions with China after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
In reaction to this visit, China is carrying out one of its largest military maneuvers around the autonomous island, located 400 km north of the Philippines.
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