US Announces $500M Military Aid to Philippines Amid Tensions with China

The United States has announced that it will pay $500 million in military aid to the Philippines as the two countries continue to face difficulties with China.

The news was made on Tuesday, when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Manila. Over the weekend, two officials launched an Asia Pacific tour to increase Washington’s influence and combat Beijing’s “strategic challenge” in the area.

We’re now committing an additional $500 million in foreign military finance to the Philippines to strengthen security cooperation with our oldest treaty friend in the area,” Blinken said at a press briefing alongside Manila’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

Blinken referred to the funding as a “once in a generation investment” to help modernise the Philippine military forces and coastguard.

According to Austin, the monies indicate the US’s commitment to taking “bold steps to strengthen our alliance”.

“We’re here to build on an excellent foundation. “We are working to advance our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said. “This level of funding is unprecedented.”

Teodoro described the aid as a “tremendous boost” to Manila’s defensive capabilities. Manalo stated that the Philippines welcomes the United States’ “iron-clad commitment” to the alliance.

Biden and Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who thanked them for making the Philippines more “agile in terms of our responses” in the West Philippine Sea. This area in the South China Sea has seen escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in recent months.

Beijing claims practically all of the strategically located waterway. It has constructed artificial islands complete with military-style landing strips and shipping ports, and recently approved new legislation allowing its coastguard to use lethal force against foreign ships in the waters it claims.

The Chinese claim overlaps with the rival claims of several nearby ASEAN countries, notably Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Amid the stress, Manila has begun modernising its armed forces, which are among the weakest in Asia, as well as strengthening its coastguard.

The incidents in the South China Sea have also generated concerns that Washington would be drawn into a fight with Beijing because of a mutual defence treaty with Manila.

At the same time, the Philippines‘ closeness to the hotly contested sea and Taiwan would make it an important ally for the US if a fight erupted in the region.

The announced investment is part of a $2 billion facility for foreign military finance approved by the United States in April.