SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – The United States State Department on Tuesday, June 18 (Monday, June 17 in Washington) reaffirmed that armed attacks on Philippine armed forces and public vessels could be basis to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty between Washington and Manila, a day after a “ramming and towing” incident in the West Philippine Sea.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated the terms of the treaty both in a statement on “US Support for the Philippines in the South China Sea” and in a readout following a bilateral phone call between top American and Filipino diplomats.
“The United States stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the escalatory and irresponsible actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to deny the Philippines from lawfully delive…