US Vice President kamala Harris ended her three-day visit to the Philippines by flying to an island that faces the disputed area of the South China Sea, reports Tokyo's Nikkei Asia.
'As an ally, the United States stands with the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea,' she said.
This follows an incident when an armed Chinese coast guard cutter 'forcefully retrieved' rocket Chinese debris from a Philippine boat that salvaged it from Philippine waters.
Said Ms Harris: 'An armed attack on the Philippines Armed Forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defence commitments.'
'We must stand up for principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and throughout the Indo-Pacific,' Ms Harris told Philippine Coast Guard officers.
Ms Harris, the highest-ranking US official to visit Palawan, the front-line of the feud with China, which she said symbolises Washington's pledge of 'unwavering' security commitments to its oldest Asian ally.
She also urged local maritime law enforcement to stand up for freedom of navigation and announced US$7.5 million of additional funding for Philippine maritime law enforcers.
Beijing, citing historic maps, claims ownership of nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas that the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam say are part of their territories. China has reclaimed and militarised islands to bolster its claims.
But in 2016 the United Nations arbitral tribunal in The Hague, rejected China's expansive maritime claims.
Said Ms Harris: 'We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behaviour. When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere.'
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'As an ally, the United States stands with the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea,' she said.
This follows an incident when an armed Chinese coast guard cutter 'forcefully retrieved' rocket Chinese debris from a Philippine boat that salvaged it from Philippine waters.
Said Ms Harris: 'An armed attack on the Philippines Armed Forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defence commitments.'
'We must stand up for principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and throughout the Indo-Pacific,' Ms Harris told Philippine Coast Guard officers.
Ms Harris, the highest-ranking US official to visit Palawan, the front-line of the feud with China, which she said symbolises Washington's pledge of 'unwavering' security commitments to its oldest Asian ally.
She also urged local maritime law enforcement to stand up for freedom of navigation and announced US$7.5 million of additional funding for Philippine maritime law enforcers.
Beijing, citing historic maps, claims ownership of nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas that the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam say are part of their territories. China has reclaimed and militarised islands to bolster its claims.
But in 2016 the United Nations arbitral tribunal in The Hague, rejected China's expansive maritime claims.
Said Ms Harris: 'We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behaviour. When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere.'
SeaNews Turkey
