The United States and the Philippines have agreed on new guidelines for their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, following multiple requests by Manila to make clear the conditions under which Washington would come to its defence.
during a Philippine coast guard patrol near the Second Thomas Shoal, a reef occupied by a small Filipino navy contingent and located 105 nautical miles off its coast.at one of its navy resupply vessels in the same area.
The Philippines and some its neighbours have in recent years complained about the conduct of the Chinese coast guard and fishermen, after smaller boats were rammed, blocked or blasted with water cannon. China, which claims sovereignty over islands, reefs and waters as far as 1,500 km from its coast, including in the EEZs of five neighbouring countries, often accuses other vessels of provocations or trespassing.Knowing the circumstances in which the United States is treaty-bound to intervene could be a deterrent that makes Beijing rethink some of its South China Sea strategy to avoid confrontation with U.S. forces, including the conduct of its coast guard.
But China could also use its vessels to test the limits of the U.S. defence commitment and try to undermine the alliance, putting Washington in a tricky position where it may be reluctant to step in through fear of an escalation or miscalculation. Some analysts have argued the Philippines and United States were better served by a more ambiguous mutual defence treaty.
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