(Radio Free Asia) Longtime allies the Philippines and United States reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral military cooperation on Friday, as their top defense officials met in-person for the first time since a new government took office in Manila.
Acting Philippine Defense Secretary Jose Faustino Jr. and his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, both articulated their support for stronger cooperation after meeting in Hawaii on Friday (Manila time) to discuss a range of security concerns.
The administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr., who was elected in a landslide in May, has moved swiftly to firm up ties with the U.S., marking a departure from the previous administration. Under former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines drifted away from its alliance with America and closer to China, despite territorial wrangling in the South China Sea.
The first face-to-face meeting between the defense officials also took place amid mounting tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Security officials and analysts had earlier said that if a conflict broke out there, the Philippines, as a decades-old ally of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, could offer a staging area for responding U.S. forces… Read More
