The Biden administration reminded China on Tuesday that the US will intervene to defend the Philippines if Manila’s vessels come under attack in the South China Sea.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the warning in a statement on the anniversary of an international tribunal ruling that sided with the Philippines against China in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
The 2016 ruling from a tribunal in the Hague was made under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The US is not a party to UNCLOS but has used the treaty to reject China’s claims to the South China Sea.
The Trump administration formally rejected most of Beijing’s claims to the disputed waters in 2020, which Blinken reaffirmed. “The United States reaffirms its July 13, 2020, policy regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea,” Blinken said.
“We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” Blinken added.
The Philippines and China’s dispute has led to tense stand-offs in the South China Sea. Last year, the Philippines objected to the presence of Chinese fishing vessels it said were a “maritime militia” near a disputed reef in the region. During the stand-off, the US reassured Manila that the Mutual Defense Treaty would cover attacks on Philippine vessels in the area.
Let’s go to war with China and Russia at the same time! Woohoo!
The lunatic Biden and the morons of his administration want more war.
All NATO members have morons, lunatics in government. The destruction of the German economy and with it the EU is intentional. Stupidity alone does not explain it, it takes lunatics to set the world on fire. Biden and all the lunatics in the State Department and the elected congress, members of both parties, must go.
We need regime change to safe the world. They are taking the nation over the cliff.
“When all else fails, they take you to war” says Celente. The U.S. is failing, so let’s expand the war.
Biden is so lunatic, he must believe he can repeat Bush Sr. getting his ratings up before mid term elections. Bush was smarter, he knew he could not lose against Saddam after the Iraqi army was devastated by 8 years of bloody war with Iran.
His legacy will be even worth than W’s. He has an administration of nothing but morons as have all NATO MEMBERS, with the exception of Serbia and Hungary and maybe some other small states.
The Scandinavians and Poland have the biggest idiots in their government. Stoltenberg makes one want to puke, to put it mildly, not to mention Scholz the moron and his idiots.
Baby out with the bathwater applies here. Vote all out mercilesely, with the message to all newly elected what fate awaits them should they cintinue warmongering.
If we only could. We can’t even impeach a president to get him out of office.
Jan, 6 was more than a year ago, and look were we are, they can’t deal with obstinate witnesses.
Yep.
Well, you better believe part of the big dog and pony show in the Insurrection made for TV movie is going to be turning DC into a militarized defense fortress you won’t be able to get near.
It’s been getting more and more that way for the last 25 years, for what I can tell. Of course, I haven’t actually been there in 30 years or so, and that was just passing through, so I have to rely on media and friends’ accounts.
But when I visited DC as a kid, we were driving through a bad neighborhood (at least it looked bad to 10-year-old or so rural me), then turned the corner onto Pennsylvania Avenue and drove right past the White House. I understand that’s all off-limits to cars, etc. now. I don’t even remember there being e.g. metal detectors at the monuments and the Smithsonian and such back then.
Do they have nuclear prove air raid shelters in DC? They broke all ABM treaties, and refused to extend ending treaties. Putin has ABMs, Russians are able to reach DC and the Pentagon and much more.
Sure for them, they do. For us LOL.
The lunatics are running the asylum
Let’s toss Iran in there as well, LB! Let the good times roll!
It probably didn’t even occur to Blinken to ask about how the Philippines feels about this.
https://asiatimes.com/2022/06/marcos-to-tap-chinas-assistance-for-economic-recovery/
It never occurs to anyone of them to think about the rights of the others.
They are in a bubble and believe that is the whole world.
Maybe with the new Filipino Leader, China should give assurances that they will defend the PI against the US?
The famous court decision! What a joke. Hague Arbitration Court! The Court should have never accepted the case. Arbitration can only be between consenting parties, not one sided “verdict”. The court weaseled out by declaring their findings “opinion”.
UNCLOS that US keeps on banding about calls for arbitration ONLY after parties engage in bilateral negotiations, narrow their differences, and accept ruling of Arbitration Court in the remaining issues. Parties as a rule use arbitration court to make “decisions” parties actually were ready to accept but for internal political reasons either or both parties cannot publucly accept. Arbitrstion Court decision than becomes a bitter pill to swallow without blaming politicians.
That “decision” is not a “decision”. It is an opinion that should have never been given in the first place. There is a reason ASEAN never accepted the ruling no matter how much US pressed them to adopt it as their policy.
And now US is pushing Philippines into accepting US agressive threats towards China and hoisting the defence of the country as US generous gift.
This is the test of new administration. Marcos appounted US pleasing Fireign Mimister and Defense Minister. But it is Sarah Duterte who brought most votes for the coalition. She and her father are the power behind the throne. Philippines still has substantial elite tied to US interests. But Marcos may crave revenge and Duterte is more lethal behind the throne.
Here is another fine example of Bianca’s incredible breadth of knowledge enlightening us to REALITY which somehow is missing, regarding the judicial proceedings and that no legally BINDING edict was issued.
This may come as a shock, China cant wait for the US et al to attempt the defense of Taiwan. Another shock, US is getting destroyed in Ukraine and you think you can bully China? Are you stupid?
Here is what Putin said in his speech last night…..”They should have realised that they have already lost from the very beginning of our special operation. Because the beginning meant the start of a fundamental breakdown of the American world order. This the beginning of the transition from liberal-globalist American egocentrism to a truly multipolar world. A world not based on selfish rules invented by someone for themselves, behind which there is nothing but the desire for hegemony.
Not on hypocritical double standards but on international law, on the true sovereignty of peoples and civilizations, on their will to live their historical destiny, their values and traditions. And build cooperation on the basis of democracy, justice and equality. And we must understand that this process cannot be stopped.”
The implicit aim of democracy: protecting the weak from the powerful.
Biden was never a real statesman to ever say anything meaningful, not one word of wisdom ever and he is 80 years old.
He does as told to hold on to the job.
Even the actor portraying him is trying hard to do as he’s told to hang on to bidet’s job. Of course he was hired to do that job whereas bidet wasn’t..
I wonder if Biden ever read and understood the preamble of the constitution. If he read it, it never really sank in. He is nothing but a run of the mill politician.
He also has not read Ike’ greatest speeches.
1) warning about the MIC having unwarranted power (something George Washington had reservations about; a military establishment that is a threat to Republican liberty)
2) Cross of Iron
Maybe they will maybe they won’t.
I would guess the US would think twice before attacking China
even if they sank a few of Manilla’s vessels.
Expecting the US regime to think even once before doing something dumb is … overly optimistic.
They’re nothing but bluff and they don’t seem to understand, Russians don’t bluff.
The U.S. creating another straw man and feigned paranoia.
Exactly Mary.
Creating a “crisis” where none existed.
The US better spend its time worrying about how it’s going to defend itself from China and Russia. Because right now both of them can destroy the US and if the US keeps pushing, they will. China can afford to lose a few hundred million people and Russia’s defenses just might let them squeak through with minimal casualties. The US – not so much. One Sarmat can take out the state of New York or Texas.
One Poseidon can take out the whole coast
Defend the Philippines from what, commerce with China?
Blinken should volunteer his family to the front lines to defend these worthless, lifeless reefs in the middle of nowhere.
No Thinkin Blinkin, amateur hour all over again. He should ask himself, if NATO/Israel/UAE are aligned, how many fronts can they win on starting all these conflicts so far from home? Did he ever read a history book?
They only “war” they ever won was against the poor fishermen of Granada
That’s because only the rich people on both sides win in any war. The rest of us lose, and lose our lives if were having a really bad lottery.
Didn’t the Filipinos want America OUT? So uckf ’em. Let them meet their new Chinese masters who, if America is gone, will enslave the Filipinos.