US-PH alliance to transcend administrations, Austin says

The Manila Times

US-PH alliance to transcend administrations, Austin says  US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says on Nov. 19, 2024 that the US alliance with the Philippines will transcend changes in administrations, as he reiterates his support for the Southeast Asian nation. The Philippines will remain an important country for the US for many years, Austin told a press conference during a visit to the Philippine military's Western Command on the island of Palawan next to the South China Sea. Both Austin and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro expressed concerns over China's conduct in the South China Sea, with the Pentagon chief reiterating Washington's defense commitments to the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. Austin said the treaty would also cover an armed attack in the South China Sea, where China had used dangerous and escalatory measures to try to assert its expansive claims.   US NETWORK POOL / REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #themanilatimes #worldnews  #philippines

Transcript

00:00Secretary of Defense of the United States, the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III,

00:05and Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, the Honorable Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.

00:14America is profoundly committed to the defense of the Philippines.

00:18Our commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty is ironclad.

00:22And let me say again that the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks

00:26on either of our armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels,

00:30including our Coast Guards, anywhere in the South China Sea.

00:36We have heard that in recent months China has been more aggressive in the South China Sea.

00:41Can you tell us what's happened and what the response has been, U.S. and Philippine side?

00:46Well, it's the same story over and over again.

00:50They have been more aggressive in denying us access to our exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

00:58They have really placed a lot of these pseudo-military vessels disguised as Coast Guard vessels

01:12and maritime militia vessels in the areas in the West Philippine Sea.

01:17They have been very aggressive in their information operations against the Philippines.

01:23The behavior of the PRC has been concerning.

01:30You've heard me say that a number of times.

01:32They've used dangerous and escalatory measures to enforce their expansive South China Sea maritime claims.

01:42When it comes to what we will do, I won't speculate or make about any hypotheticals when it comes to our Mutual Defense Treaty.

01:54But we have emphasized, and you heard me just emphasize it a couple of minutes ago,

01:58that we remain committed to the treaty, we stand with the Philippines,

02:04and we condemn dangerous actions by the PRC against lawful Philippine operations in the South China Sea.

02:13Again, this is concerning behavior, and we've made this point to our Chinese counterparts a number of times in a number of courts.

02:22Again, we'll continue to work with our allies and make sure that we're doing the right things to promote a secure and open Indo-Pacific.

02:35That's really important to everyone in this region.

02:39Then again, insofar as the Philippines is concerned, and in partnership with the United States,

02:46our main theme of cooperation here, aside from being treaty allies,

02:54stands for upholding of international law and the values of freedom and democracy.

03:04The strength of our alliance, I think, will transcend changes of administration going forward.

03:13Again, I won't speculate on any changes in policy or anything that the new administration may bring on board.

03:24What I will tell you is that this is an important country, not only to me, but to people in both parties back in the United States of America.

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