Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands at the end of a joint press availability at the State Department in Washington, US, April 11, 2023. (File photo by ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Reuters)
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and US State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke on the phone on Thursday about “important opportunities” in pursuing security cooperation next year, according to the foreign offices of both countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State did not specify the opportunities, but US State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said among the issues tackled was the ongoing tension in the West Philippine Sea.
“Secretary Blinken underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty,” Miller said during a daily department media briefing.
“Secretary Blinken and Secretary Manalo also exchanged ideas on how to reinforce US-Philippines cooperation in the coming year,” building on President Marcos’ visit to Washington last May.
Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’s interest in protecting its sovereign rights while maintaining peace and upholding international rules-based order, the DFA said in its statement.
“Secretary Manalo emphasized the importance of open lines of communication and dialogue with other parties in pursuit of these objectives,” the DFA statement read.
“Secretary Manalo and Secretary Blinken acknowledged the robust Philippines-United States alliance and bilateral relations, as well as discussed important opportunities for further strengthening cooperation in 2024,” the DFA said.
The phone call was made as China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stepped up its rhetoric about recent encounters between Chinese maritime militia vessels and the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.
Properly handle disputes
China claimed “the responsibility lies within the Philippines” for repeatedly infringing upon Beijing’s sovereignty in the waterway and that, if the Philippines continued to do so, its own interest “will take the toll.”
“We hope that the Philippines will make the wise choice, return to the right track of properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation, and work with China to properly handle and manage the situation at sea,” a Beijing official said in a press briefing.
According to the DFA, as of Dec. 20, 65 diplomatic protests have been filed against China for 2023 and a total of 132 have been filed under President Marcos’ term.
China’s accusations lie entirely on its expansionist 10-dash line claim to practically all of the South China Sea, encompassing the western part of the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).But in a 2016 decision, the arbitral tribunal rejected China’s claims for having “no legal basis in international law” and reaffirmed the Philippines EEZ.
The award is backed by major countries, like the US, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, European Union, South Korea, India, Canada, and many more.
But China refuses to recognize the final and executory decision, and condemns certain countries for doing so.