The United States will allocate $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Tuesday. This move aims to strengthen ties between Washington and Manila amid increasing assertiveness from China.
Blinken, accompanied by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, visited Manila as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to reinforce Washington’s network of alliances to counter Beijing.
“We’re now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region,” Blinken stated at a joint news conference.
Blinken characterized the funding as a “once in a generation investment” intended to modernize the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.
Before holding “2+2” talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro, Blinken and Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos, who has taken a firm stance against Chinese activities in the South China Sea.
This visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway, raising concerns that Washington could be drawn into a conflict due to its mutual defense treaty with Manila.
The $500 million funding is part of the $2 billion in foreign military financing approved by the United States in April. It supports the Philippines’ efforts to modernize its armed forces, considered one of the weakest in Asia, and enhance its coast guard capabilities.
Given its proximity to the contested South China Sea and self-ruled Taiwan, the Philippines would be a crucial partner for the United States in the event of a regional conflict.