By Simon Lewis and Karen Lema
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr advised U.S. cupboard secretaries Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin on Tuesday that common engagements between Manila and Washington have been wanted to make sure “agile” responses to his nation’s maritime tensions with China.
U.S. treaty ally the Philippines has repeatedly sparred at sea with China, the principle U.S. rival within the Indo-Pacific, this previous yr, however the two sides have now reached a “provisional association” to ease tensions and handle variations.
Marcos greeted Secretary of State Blinken and Defence Secretary Austin on the Malacanang Palace on Tuesday morning forward of conferences with their Filipino counterparts, the primary such conferences hosted by the Philippines.
“I am all the time very completely satisfied that these communication traces are very open so that each one the issues that we’re doing collectively, by way of our alliance, by way of the precise context of our state of affairs right here, within the West Philippine Sea and within the Indo-Pacific, are repeatedly examined and re-examined so we’re agile by way of our responses,” Marcos stated.
The Philippines has competing claims with China within the waters to its west also referred to as the South China Sea. China claims 90% of the ocean as its sovereign territory.
Marcos famous that he was “a bit stunned” to see the 2 secretaries given how “fascinating” the U.S. political state of affairs has change into, a reference to President Joe Biden this month ending his re-election marketing campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to tackle former President Donald Trump in a November election. Blinken provided Marcos greetings from Harris, in addition to from Biden.
Blinken, the highest U.S. diplomat, stated a “regular drumbeat of very high-level engagements in our nations which can be overlaying the total vary of points and alternatives that carry us collectively not solely safety, but in addition financial.”