PH, US defense chiefs talk on phone after latest China harassment

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his US counterpart Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone on Wednesday in the wake of the latest harassment by the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.

According to a readout sent by the US Embassy in Manila, Austin reaffirmed the ironclad US commitment to the Philippines following the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia’s “dangerous obstruction of a lawful Philippine resupply mission.”

“[Austin] emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and reiterated that the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to both countries’ armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the Pacific, to include the South China Sea,” the US DoD’s readout said.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the country’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The phone conversation took place before the predominantly Catholic country goes into an extended weekend with the solemn observance Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday. —NB, GMA Integrated News