It was not the first time that American officials dodged queries on the scope of the Mutual Defense Treaty. “I don’t want to discuss hypothetical events but I want to underscore our commitment to the defense of the Philippines,” Clinton said. Strong detterentThe Philippines claims parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone and calls it the West Philippine Sea. Meanwhile, experts say it’s high time for the US to publicly state its commitment to defend Philippine troops, ships and planes from attack under the Mutual Defense Treaty. READ: US think tank expert: South China Sea diplomatic breakthrough ‘unlikely’

Source: Philippine Star June 02, 2018 05:12 UTC