United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III has reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty between Washington and Manila extends to the latter’s public vessels.
“Austin reaffirmed that the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces to include those of its Coast Guard in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder in a statement on Wednesday.
In the MDT signed in 1951, the Philippines and the US agreed that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declared that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.
According to Ryder, Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., discussed the latest Chinese actions near Ayungin Shoal in a phone call on Tuesday night (US time).
He noted that Austin also condemned the China Coast Guard’s use of a water cannon and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels over the weekend which put the safety of the Filipino crew “at risk.”
“He joined numerous countries in expressing concern about these unsafe operational activities, which undermine the status quo and directly threaten regional peace and stability,” the statement read.
Philippine Navy vessels, escorted by Philippine Coast Guard ships, were en route to Ayungin Shoal on a routine troop rotation and resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre when the incident happened.
The Sierra Madre is a World War II landing ship tank that was grounded at Ayungin in 1999.
The statement said the two secretaries “reaffirmed the ironclad nature of the US-Philippines alliance and committed to redouble efforts to strengthen bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine armed forces.”
“The secretaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order, including supporting the Philippines’ right to conduct lawful maritime activities, consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling, which was final and binding on all parties,” it said.
The US Department of Defense said both Austin and Teodoro expressed their commitment to “finding a near-term opportunity to meet in person and restated their commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as allies to bring security, prosperity, and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”