US will be 'good ally' to Philippines in South China Sea dispute
The US will be ‘a good ally’ to the Philippines in responding to territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, a US defence official said on 16 August.
Randall Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, gave the assurance as tensions rise over China's aggressive stance towards its claims to most of the strategic waterway.
Speaking to reporters at the US embassy in Manila, Schriver was asked if the US, which is bound to the Philippines by a mutual defence treaty, would help the country if China invaded the main Filipino-occupied island in the South China Sea.
Schriver said: ‘We'll be a good ally... there should be no misunderstanding or lack of clarity on the spirit and the nature of our commitment. We'll help the Philippines respond accordingly.’
China and the Philippines, along with several other Asian nations, have conflicting claims to parts of the South China Sea, which is believed to contain vast mineral resources.
China has built up heavily defended artificial islands in the sea and Philippine observers have expressed concern in recent weeks over aggressive Chinese radio warnings to foreign planes against approaching them.
However Schriver said US forces would continue to fly and sail in those waters.
He said: ‘We've seen an increase in this kind of challenge from China, not only directed at us but others. This kind of challenge will not result in a change of our behaviour. We'll not allow them to rewrite the rules of the road or change international law.’
Since he took office in mid-2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been moving the country's relations away from its traditional ally the US and towards China and Russia.
Schriver also cautioned the Philippines against buying large-scale weapons like submarines from Russia as some local officials have suggested.
He said: ‘I don't think that's a helpful thing to the (US-Philippine) alliance and ultimately I think we can be a better partner than the Russians.’
More from Defence Notes
-
How UAE defence giant EDGE Group plans to double its exports
The UAE defence conglomerate has put an aggressive strategy in place to increase its share of exports while navigating the growing gap between East and West.
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.