MANILA — The Philippines stressed Tuesday that the country was not drifting into the military orbit of China, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s perceived warming ties with Beijing and fresh concerns about Beijing’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea. Manila’s envoy to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez, said that the two sides discussed “shared concerns,” particularly violent extremism and the continued presence of Islamic State militants in the country. Two years ago, American intelligence helped the local army beat back militants seeking to take over the city of Marawi on southern island of Mindanao. “The relationship is very strong,” Mr. Romualdez told reporters, adding that the United States had said it would continue its freedom of navigation patrols to prevent Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. The maritime region has recently seen a spike in aggressive Chinese moves against smaller countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam.

Source: International New York Times July 16, 2019 08:03 UTC