US To Provide $500 Million In Military Funding To Philippines

The United States has declared it will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said this today in Manila, as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washington’s latticework of alliances aimed at countering Beijing.
Together with the US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, Blinken met with Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines, who has taken a strong stand against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before holding 2+2 talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.
This latest high-level US visit follows series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concerns that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.