June 12,2020

China Afraid (June 12,2020) ASEAN Backs Off US fight Against China Military in South China Sea

In a strategic setback for China, the Philippines government reversed itself Tuesday and said it would maintain a longstanding military pact with the United States that President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized as unfair.

The Philippine foreign secretary, Teodoro Locsin, made Tuesday’s announcement over Twitter, saying that he had informed Washington in a diplomatic note. The decision not to terminate the agreement was made “in light of political and other developments in the region,” Mr. Locsin said in the diplomatic note, without elaboration.

The United States welcomed the reversal. “Our longstanding alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines,” the United States Embassy in Manila said in a statement.