U.S. President Biden Confirms His Defense Pact With Philippines To Check China
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Current disagreements between China and the Philippines led to a strong statement from US President Joe Biden that the US military is ready to defend the Philippines against nuclear-armed China, despite reports of ships from both countries colliding on a disputed island.
President Biden addressed the United States’ defence agreement with the Philippines during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He made it clear that any attack on Filipino planes, warships, or armed troops would trigger the 1951 mutual defence alliance between the United States and the Philippines.
The incident occurred when two Philippine Navy ships attempted to access the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, a strategically positioned area along critical commercial shipping routes that gets submerged at high tide.
The Second Thomas Shoal is significantly closer to the Philippines than it is to China, adding to the complication of the issue.
This issue is part of a wider, continuing war in the South China Sea, in which China and numerous neighbouring nations, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, have opposing claims.
The Philippine government has expressed its worry about the situation, inviting the Chinese ambassador to discuss it.
According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on October 22, Chinese warships collided with a resupply boat hired by the Philippine armed forces and a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the Spratly Islands chain in the West Philippine Sea.
According to Jonathan Malaya, a spokesperson for the Philippines National Security Council, one of the Philippine vessels was damaged.
The National Task Force has criticized China’s actions, calling them “provocative, irresponsible, and illegal” and stressing the risk to the Philippine crew.
U.S. President Biden Confirms His Defense Pact With Philippines To Check China appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide
Source: Maritime Shipping News