MANILA, Philippines — The United States called on China to cease its provocative acts in the South China Sea and warned that an armed attack on the Philippine military will trigger a 1951 mutual defense treaty. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the stern statement as the Philippines marked the fifth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive "nine-dash-line" claim over a large part of the South China Sea. “We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” he added. “Nowhere is the rules-based maritime order under greater threat than in the South China Sea,” Blinken said, accusing Beijing of continuing to “coerce and intimidate” Southeast Asian coastal states. China considers US involvement in the South China Sea dispute a form of meddling and has often stressed that differences between claimants would be better handled through bilateral discussions.

Source: Philippine Star July 12, 2021 03:56 UTC