US hands $500m military aid boost to Philippines amid China tensions

The United States has announced that it will provide $500m in military funding to the Philippines, as the pair eyes ongoing tensions with China.

The announcement came on Tuesday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Manila. The two officials launched anĀ Asia Pacific tourĀ over the weekend, aimed at boosting Washingtonā€™s influence in the region in a bid to challenge the ā€œstrategic challengeā€ Beijing poses.

ā€œWeā€™re now allocating an additional $500m in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region,ā€ Blinken told a news conference alongside Manilaā€™s Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

Blinken described the aid as a ā€œonce in a generation investmentā€ to help modernise the Philippine armed forces and coastguard.

Austin said the funds demonstrate the commitment of the US to take ā€œbold steps to strengthen our allianceā€.

ā€œWe are here to build on an extraordinary foundation. We are working to advance our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,ā€ he declared. ā€œThis level of funding is unprecedented.ā€

Teodoro called the aid a ā€œtremendous boostā€ to Manilaā€™s defence capabilities. Manalo said the Philippines welcomes the ā€œiron-clad commitmentā€ shown by the US to the pairā€™s alliance.

Credit: aljazeera.com

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