The United States is planning to conduct more multilateral patrols with the Philippines and other allied countries in the South China Sea to enhance maritime defense.
"We are strongly supportive, not just of a bilateral approach but exploring opportunities for multilateral patrols with the Philippines and to other partners as well," Deputy Assistant Secretary of US Defense for South and Southeast Asia Linsey Ford said in a House hearing on Friday."We've been networking the Philippines into many of our alliances much more proactively, it is an essential part of our strategy," she added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden earlier said in a recent statement that they are looking forward to the trilateral cooperation with other countries, like Australia, to ensure regional security.Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs Jung Pak, meanwhile, said the US State Department has been rallying support for the Philippines to assert its sovereign rights in the South China Sea.
"We've been very focused on making sure that the Philippines have the support of not just the US but also on a global scale," she said. US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson also vowed that they will continue to help the Philippines build maritime capacity and capability to deter and defend its sovereign rights. He said the US Coast Guard is willing to share their tactics and techniques to help the Philippines deal with unlawful incidents in the South China Sea.
Philippine authorities stood firm and said the removal was consistent with the government's position on the West Philippine Sea. Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc is located in the middle of the WPS inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US House committee tackles Chinese 'activities' in South China SeaTHE United States House of Representatives (HoR) Foreign Affairs Committee will dig into China's 'activities' in the South China Sea (SCS).
Read more »
PH, EU urge claimants in South China Sea to refrain from using forceTHE Philippines and the European Union (EU) have urged countries with conflicting claims in the South China Sea to refrain from using force and adding uncertainty to the region through unilateral acts.
Read more »
China opens its fastest cross-sea high-speed railway along Taiwan StraitFUZHOU, China -- China's fastest cross-sea high-speed rail started operation on Thursday, with trains running at a maximum speed of 350 km/h along the west coast of the Taiwan Strait.
Read more »
China vows to safeguard Scarborough after PH removal of barrierChina said it will safeguard territorial sovereignty over an area in the South China Sea where Philippines cut a floating barrier installed by Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday (September 27).
Read more »
Azerbaijan seeks ‘war crime’ suspects in sea of Karabakh refugeesLachin Corridor, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani border guards on Tuesday sought out 'war crime' suspects among the Armenian refugees flooding out
Read more »