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 Washingtonās influence in the region in a bid to challenge the āstrategic challengeā Beijing poses.
āWeāre 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 Manilaās Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
Blinken described the aid as a āonce 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 ābold steps to strengthen our allianceā.
āWe 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. āThis level of funding is unprecedented.ā
Teodoro called the aid a ātremendous boostā to Manilaās defence capabilities. Manalo said the Philippines welcomes the āiron-clad commitmentā shown by the US to the pairās alliance.
Credit: aljazeera.com