The ambassador says the Philippines-U.S. South China Sea patrols may start in the third quarter. A top diplomat said on Monday that the Philippines and the U.S. might begin joint patrols in the South China maritime later this year, days after Washington confirmed its resolve to defend Manila against a maritime attack.
Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said discussions were ongoing on the February-announced coordinated marine patrols.
“No later than the third quarter.” CNN Philippines quoted him as saying, “We should have that.”
In February, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, agreed to resume joint marine patrols in the South China Sea, which former President Rodrigo Duterte, who favored better relations with China, had postponed after taking office in 2016.
On Monday, Philippine Defense Secretary Galvez told reporters there were no official conversations on combined patrols with the U.S. and Australia.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte’s successor, visited President Joe Biden last week on a four-day visit to Washington, revitalizing Philippine-US relations.
During the visit, the Pentagon published guidelines detailing U.S. defense treaty responsibilities to the Philippines for South China Sea assaults, including on its coast guard.
On Monday, U.S. Embassy in Manila spokesman Kanishka Gangopadhyay stated, “Our conversations on combined maritime activities with the Philippines are continuing, and our military planners are working hard on specific issues like logistics.”
Romualdez suggested Australia may join the marine activity.
China controls most of the South China Sea, where $3 trillion in global trade passes annually. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan dispute claims.
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