MANILA, Philippines — While the Philippines and the United States reaffirmed their defense cooperation in their last dialogue, the two countries missed some opportunities to address issues in the South China Sea, part of which is the West Philippine Sea. In July 2016, the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal ruled that fishermen from the Philippines, China and other countries had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal. But leaves open the door to future clarifications that 'any attack' includes militia violence or even threats of violence," Poling said. But leaves open the door to future clarifications that "any attack" includes militia violence or even threats of violence. RELATED: US envoy welcomes Mutual Defense Treaty review

Source: Philippine Star July 19, 2019 02:55 UTC