The United States stressed Monday that it is committed to supporting the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea after a Chinese Coast Guard ship blockaded a Philippine vessel in the area on Sunday.
«An armed attack against the Armed Forces of the Philippines, ships or aircraft, would result in the invocation of mutual defense by the United States,» US Vice President Kamala Harris said during a meeting in the Philippines with the Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
«We stand with you in defense of international norms regarding the South China Sea,» she added, before stressing that bilateral relations are growing stronger. Thus, he spoke of a «multifaceted» relationship and pointed to a «mutual commitment to the economic prosperity of the region and its nations».
For his part, the Philippine president thanked Harris for his «very strong commitment» in the face of the «upheavals» in the region and the world, as reported by the German news agency DPA. «The situation is changing rapidly. We must evolve to be able to respond appropriately to the situation, so it is very important to continue to make progress, strengthen and redefine these relations,» he explained.
«His visit is a very strong symbol that these relations are still strong, that these relations are as important as they really are,» Marcos Jr. has argued, stressing that he «does not see a future for the Philippines that does not include the United States.»
Harris’ and Marcos Jr.’s statements came hours after Manila alleged that the Chinese Coast Guard on Sunday blocked a Philippine Navy team that was recovering unidentified metal debris near an island in the South China Sea.
The Chinese ship deployed a manned vessel that «forcibly retrieved the floating object by cutting the towline» attached to the Philippine Navy ship, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, regional military commander, recounted. «The (Philippine Navy) team decided to return to Pagasa Island,» he said.
The Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial dispute over over overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing has seized areas and built artificial islands with military-capable facilities. In addition to the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claim to the area, which is considered rich in natural resources.
