The United States will provide $500 million to the Philippines for defense purposes. Washington is stepping up ties with Manila in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness.
Blinken was in Manila with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washington's network of alliances aimed at countering Beijing, AFP reported.
"We are now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military funding to the Philippines to strengthen security cooperation with our oldest treaty ally in this region," Blinken said at a joint news conference.
Blinken described this as a "once-in-a-generation investment" to help modernize the Philippine Armed Forces and Coast Guard.
The two U.S. officials met with President Ferdinand Marcos, who has taken a hard line against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before holding "2+2" talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.
The high-level visit to the US follows a series of clashes between Philippine and Chinese ships that raised fears Washington could be drawn into conflict over its mutual defence treaty with Manila.
The funding is part of $2 billion in foreign military financing approved by the United States in April. It comes at a time when the Philippines is modernising its armed forces, which are among the weakest in Asia, and strengthening its coast guard.
The Philippines' proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as to the self-governing island of Taiwan, makes it a key partner for the United States should conflict break out in the region. | BGNES
