US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (L) shakes hands with Philippines’ Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during a meeting on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore on June 1, 2013.<\/p>\n
The United States has reaffirmed its military support for the Philippines, a former US colony, as tensions escalate between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea.\n<\/p>\n
In a Saturday meeting with his Filipino counterpart Voltaire Gazmin on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Washington is committed to a 1951 defense treaty signed with Manila, under which both sides are bound to help defend each other in case of external attacks.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cSecretary Hagel emphasized the importance of the Philippines as a treaty ally and reaffirmed the United States commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty,\u201d Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters after the meeting.\n<\/p>\n
Little said that both defense chiefs also “discussed deepening bilateral defense cooperation including work towards increasing rotational presence of US forces in (the) Philippines to address common challenges.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
He said the US attaches importance to maintaining the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.\n<\/p>\n
The announcement by Washington follows the recent killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guards. The incident led to tensions between the two countries as well as with China over maritime navigation rights in the South China Sea.\n<\/p>\n
Tensions between the Philippines and China started on April 8, 2012, following a naval standoff between the two countries in the South China Sea over the region\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s shoal, which both sides claim as their territory.\n<\/p>\n
Six countries, including China, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, claim sovereignty over areas in the South China Sea, which is said to contain huge deposits of oil and gas.\n<\/p>\n
China claims all of the South China Sea as an historic right, even waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.\n<\/p>\n
YH\/HN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n