Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to bolster America’s alliance with the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling the Southeast Asian nation an “irreplaceable” ally as tensions between the U.S. and China spike.
Blinken, the first U.S. Cabinet official to visit the new Philippine leader, reiterated in a meeting with Marcos on Saturday America’s commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which pledged support in case of foreign attack.
“We always stand by our partners. It’s important to remember that,” Blinken said in a joint briefing with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, as the top diplomat repeated the U.S.’s “ironclad” commitment to the defense pact. An armed attack against the Philippines would invoke the pact and U.S. would be there to defend it, he said.
