The United States is redoubling its efforts to strengthen its relations with Asian countries.
The goal: to counterbalance China.
With this in mind, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins a brief tour of Asia on Sunday in South Korea that will also take him to the Philippines, two key allies with whom the United States is seeking to strengthen relations.
The head of American diplomacy is due to participate on Monday in a third edition of the
“democracy summit”
, an initiative dear to American President Joe Biden launched in 2021. The summit, which will be held from March 18 to 20 in the South Korean capital , will bring together government officials, NGOs and members of civil society.
After Seoul, the American Secretary of State will travel to Manila on Tuesday to reaffirm
“unwavering commitment to the Philippine ally
,” according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Talks with local officials are planned, including President Ferdinand Marcos, focusing on the threat posed by China.
The latter recently accused the United States of using the Philippines as a
“pawn”
in the South China Sea, after several incidents around islets that the two Asian countries bitterly dispute.
In this context, the Philippines entered into military agreements with the United States and Australia.
In recent months, tensions between China and the Philippines, which are increasingly asserting their claims, have reached levels not seen in several years.