Teodoro Locsin Jr. held talks on the South China Sea issue With Michael Pompeo
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. held talks on the South China Sea issue together with United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
This, as the Philippines and the United States reaffirmed their “strong” alliance amid the increased military presence of China in the disputed waters.
In a readout of Pompeo’s call to Locsin on Thursday (US time), he talked about the “recent change” in the US policy regarding the maritime claims in the South China Sea.
He also talked about the US support for Southeast Asian coastal states “upholding their sovereign rights and interests consistent with international law”.
In addition, Pompeo discussed about the opportunities for further “US-Philippine maritime cooperation” even though President Rodrigo Duterte stopped the participation of the Philippines in any maritime drills in the South China Sea.
The statement also mentioned that Locsin and Pompeo also talked about the “strong economic, security, and people-to-people ties” that bind the two countries.
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China — which considered the disputes on the South China Sea “a purely Asian issue” — was opposed to any foreign intervention, specifically to the United States.
Although Washington wasn’t a party to the disputes, it has declared that it was in its national interest in order to ensure the freedom of navigation and overflight in the contested waters wherein the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, and China had overlapping claims.
Over the years, China — which insisted on its historical claim over nearly the entire South China Sea — had expanded its presence in the disputed waters, turning some former reefs into artificial islands with runways, military facilities, and surface to its air missiles.
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