Behind the important statement of the US Secretary of State on the East Sea 0
(Dan Tri) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent an important message when making an attention-grabbing statement related to the recent mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Photo: Getty)
On March 1, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced: “Any armed attack against Philippine forces, aircraft or civilian ships in the East Sea will trigger mutual defense obligations.
For many analysts, Secretary Pompeo’s statement appears to be the Trump administration’s strongest move to `strengthen America’s commitment to established allies` in the India-Thailand region.
In the midst of North Korea’s nuclear negotiations, India-Pakistan tensions, and China trade negotiations, the statement of the head of the US State Department has attracted certain attention.
Mutual defense treaty
The United States and the Philippines signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951. With this document, the allies pledged to “deal with common threats” in the event of “an armed attack on their territories.”
However, an issue that has long remained unclear is whether the East Sea is in the `Pacific` area to which the US-Philippines mutual defense treaty will apply in the event of an armed attack.
President Donald Trump once privately promised the Philippine leadership: `We will support you.`
Therefore, Secretary Pompeo’s statement `The East Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean` is clearly a strong move by the US.
Statement from 2 decades
The USS Blue Ridge, flagship of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, is off the coast of Manila during a routine visit to the Philippines on March 13.
In 1979, during negotiations on the settlement of US forces in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance sent a letter to his Philippine counterpart Carlos Romulo.
In the letter, Mr. Vance promised that an attack on Philippine armed forces, ships or aircraft in the Pacific need not occur within the metropolitan territories of the Philippines or island territories within the Pacific.
In 1999, when tensions with China increased in the East Sea, US Ambassador Thomas Hubbard affirmed that Washington would “maintain the position in the Vance-Romulo letter of January 6, 1979… America considers the East Sea
With the recent statement, Secretary of State Pompeo reaffirmed the above stance of the US.
Fear of being abandoned
As China becomes increasingly assertive in the East Sea, the Philippines has turned to the US for help.
Philippine officials are forced to manage how to deal with China.
Meanwhile, to deal with increasing tensions in the East China Sea, President Obama specifically announced that the US-Japan Security Treaty will apply to the Senkaku Islands – where China and Japan have a dispute.
The terms of the US treaty with Japan and the US treaty with the Philippines will naturally be different.
When taking power in the Philippines in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte continued to raise many concerns about the relationship with the US.
Trump administration policy
When the Trump administration began taking over the White House, US officials worried that the Philippines might abandon the US.
At the present time, the US reaffirming its commitment to ally with the Philippines could push Washington into a dilemma at the risk of being bogged down in an unwanted conflict.
In addition, US support for the Philippines can also create a risky situation.
Despite the above risks, the Trump administration still decided to strengthen its alliance with the Philippines.
Success
According to Washington Post
