Home » The U.S. and the Philippines fully restore military agreement to point at the CCP | South China Sea | VFA

The U.S. and the Philippines fully restore military agreement to point at the CCP | South China Sea | VFA

by admin

[Epoch Times July 30, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian comprehensive report) On July 30, the United States and the Philippines renewed their commitment to the 70-year-old U.S.-Philippines alliance and “completely restored” the “Visiting Forces” Agreement (VFA). The agreement facilitates the deployment of US troops and military technical equipment in the Philippines. The outside world believes that this is a strong signal sent by the two countries to the CCP.

On Friday (July 30), Philippine Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana (Delfin Lorenzana) and US Secretary of Defense Austin announced the resumption of VFA at a joint press conference held in Manila.

The VFA was originally signed in 1988, allowing US military aircraft and warships to enter the Philippines freely and relaxing visa restrictions on US military personnel. One of the important provisions of the 1951 Joint Defense Treaty between the two countries was that Washington took military action to protect the Philippines.

Philippine President Duterte once wanted to terminate the agreement. He notified the United States to terminate the VFA in February 2020, and then extended the period for repealing the VFA several times.

Austin welcomed and thanked Duterte for his change of course. “A strong and resilient US-Philippines alliance remains vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. The fully restored VFA will help us achieve this goal together. “We are back on track.”

The Philippines was once the location of the two largest US military bases overseas: Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station. Although they ceased to be US bases in the early 1990s, the US military can still enter the site under the VFA.

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Duterte once fell to the CCP for economic benefits, but the two countries have been caught in continuing disputes over the South China Sea claims. In 2016, the Hague Arbitration Tribunal ruled that the Philippines won the case, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China called the arbitration decision “a piece of paper.”

As the CCP’s activities in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea have increased, relations between the two countries have become more tense. Earlier this year, the Philippines adopted a tough attitude towards the 100 Chinese ships that were staying in the EEZ and refused to evacuate.

In early July this year, on the fifth anniversary of the Hague ruling, US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken reiterated the United States’ commitment to defend the Philippines.

Brinken emphasized that in accordance with the 70-year-old mutual defense treaty between the United States and the Philippines, the United States is committed to protecting the Philippine armed forces from attacks in the South China Sea. Trigger the United States’ commitment to mutual defense under Article 4 of the 1951 “U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.”

“The greatest threat to maritime order (place) is the South China Sea. China (the CCP) continues to coerce and intimidate coastal countries in Southeast Asia, threatening the freedom of navigation on this key global channel.” Brinken called on the CCP to stop its provocative behavior in the South China Sea.

In order to strengthen the Philippine-US alliance, the US Embassy in the Philippines announced in June that the US military will deliver weapons and equipment worth 183 million pesos to the Philippine military, which will help strengthen the Philippine military’s anti-terrorism and “maritime security” capabilities.

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Editor in charge: Lin Yan#

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