by Shivam Patel (Reuters) – Washington will defend treaty ally the Philippines if its forces are attacked in the South China Sea, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, urging China to follow international law and cease “provocative behavior” in the busy waterway.
Blinken made the comments on Monday, the sixth anniversary of a ruling by an international tribunal that invalidated China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade each year.
Related Book: Carrier Killer: China’s Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles by Gerry Doyle and Blake Herzinger
“We re-affirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces … would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments,” Blinken said in a statement, referring to the provisions of a mutual defense treaty between the allies dating from 1951.
“We call again on the People’s Republic of China to abide by its obligations under international law and cease its provocative behavior,” he added.
The statement came the day that Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indonesian capital that regional nations should avoid being used as “chess pieces” by global powers.
Related Book: Pacific: Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers by Simon Winchester
China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea, citing what it says are historical maps, puts it at odds with some countries in the grouping, which say the claim is inconsistent with international law.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Reuters)
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 108,926 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
SEOUL, March 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at the southern city of Busan in South Korea on Sunday as a show of force, South Korea’s navy...
OSLO, March 2 (Reuters) – NATO member Norway will continue to supply fuel for U.S. Navy ships, the country’s defense minister said on Sunday, after a call from a private marine fuel supplier to...
Feb 17 (Reuters) – The Russian Navy’s large landing ship, Admiral Nevelskoy, conducted artillery firing drills in the Sea of ??Japan, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday, citing the press service of...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,926 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
