Amid Xi Jinping's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. and the Philippines have agreed to ramp up military capabilities over the next five to 10 years.
What Happened: As per the "security sector assistance roadmap," Washington will supply Manila with modern equipment such as radars, military transport aircraft and drones, as well as coastal- and air-defense systems.
The alliance was formed amid rising concerns over China's growing regional presence.
On Tuesday in Washington, the diplomats and defense chiefs from the U.S. and Philippines discussed defense and security issues.
The Pentagon said the new equipment would enhance Manila’s ability to "resist coercion" but "further integrate our strong bilateral ties into multilateral networks," including with Japan and Australia, to strengthen collective deterrence against Beijing.
In a thinly veiled reference to China, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, agreed to redouble efforts to strengthen "our combined ability to resist armed attack by modernizing our armed forces" in the face of "coercion and gray-zone aggression."
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