Key Points
- US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited and expected new stages of cooperation with the Philippines anchored on mutual priorities such as international law, climate change, and food security.
- The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines maintained that China did not provoke past tensions in the South China Sea.
- China asserted that the United States has no involvement in the South China Sea issue, hence it has no right to interfere in the maritime issues of China and the Philippines.
- Sixteen thousand soldiers will participate in the Balikatan Exercise from the United States, while five thousand will come from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
