U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, from left, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro pose for the press before foreign and defense ministerial meetings at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
The United States will continue to strengthen ties with the Philippines, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said, reinforcing an increasingly important alliance ahead of the US presidential election in November.
Austin made the remarks as he and US State Secretary Antony Blinken met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday in Manila before the scheduled discussions with their counterparts Gilberto Teodoro and Enrique Manalo.
The United States also announced US$500mil (RM2.3bil) in foreign military financing that the Pentagon described in a July 26 statement as “unprecedented”.
“It’s been a great three and a half years and I look forward to another three and a half or another four in building, strengthening this relationship,” Austin told Marcos during the courtesy call at the presidential palace in Manila.
Austin’s remarks project optimism that no matter who takes over from President Joe Biden, Washington will sustain the trajectory of US-Philippine relations that have flourished since Marcos took office in mid-2022.
Under Biden and Marcos, the treaty allies have drawn closer amid tense stand-offs with China over their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The United States has repeatedly affirmed its treaty obligations as the Philippines provided the United States with access to more military sites on the archipelago.
The Philippine leader told the US officials he was “a bit surprised” to see them “considering how interesting your political situation has become”.
Marcos said he was happy with the level of communication between the two nations “so we are agile in terms of our responses”.
Blinken, for his part, described the partnership as a “steady drumbeat” that covered not only security but also economic opportunities. — Bloomberg
