(VOVWORLD) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday talked by phone with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo about China's actions in the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam), which Manila and Washington have called escalatory.
The phone call was made following actions by China that the US called dangerous and irresponsible forpreventing the Philippines from carrying out a lawful maritime operation in the East Sea on June 17.
Blinken said China's actions undermine regional peace and stability and underscored the US’s ironclad commitment to the Philippines under their Mutual Defense Treaty.
Blinken and Manalo also discussed ways to build momentum from recent high-level bilateral agreements on a range of issues.
The US State Department earlier issued a statement saying that China’s use of water cannons, collisions, and blockades of Philippine ships, dangerously and intentionally endangering the lives of Philippine soldiers, is reckless and threatens peace and stability in the region.