(ProsperNews.net) – The United States has renewed its promise to protect the Philippines following collisions between Filipino and Chinese ships in the South China Sea. The State Department issued a statement on October 22 saying the behavior of China’s ship during the incident the previous day had “jeopardized Filipino crew members’ safety and impeded critically needed supplies from reaching service members.”
Video footage shows a Chinese vessel blocking the path of a Filipino ship in a disputed region in the South China Sea, causing the two ships to collide. The Filipino vessel was attempting to resupply the country’s forces in the disputed Spratly Islands when Chinese boats tried to block them on two separate occasions.
The State Department reminded China that there is a mutual defense treaty between the United States and the Philippines, covering all attacks against Filipinos anywhere in the world.
The two nations signed a formal agreement entitled the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America on August 30, 1951. Among several promises, the US and the Philippines vowed to act together to “meet common dangers” that presented a risk to the peace and safety of either country in the event of an armed attack in the Pacific or elsewhere.
According to the State Department, diplomatic relations between the US and the Philippines were first formalized in 1946 and are based on “strong historical and cultural linkages and a shared commitment to democracy and human rights.”
The US-Philippine Bilateral Strategic Dialogue is a meeting that takes place every year where the ongoing relationship is discussed and plans made – the most recent was in January 2023.
More than 4 million Filipinos live in the United States, and 300,000 Americans live in the Philippines. Many of these are military veterans, and Manila, the Filipino capital, is home to the only Veterans Administration regional office outside the United States.
The Philippines also has the largest US veterans’ cemetery outside America.
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