Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and his US counterpart Ash Carter discussed regional security issues including the South China Sea on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM- Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Secretary Carter welcomed the opportunity to discuss regional security issues with one of our closest allies in the Asia Pacific and stressed that the US commitment to defend the Philippines is ironclad,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in a statement on Tuesday (Philippine time).
READ: Obama reiterates pledge to secure PH ironclad
Both leaders reaffirmed the strength of their nations’ alliance.
Cook said Gazmin has expressed support from the Philippines over the US forces’ activities in the disputed waterway.
READ: Aquino: US patrols in South China Sea a ‘balancing of power’
He also welcomed “closer cooperation with the US in Philippine force modernization efforts.”
The US has recently declared to send its warships to patrol the disputed waterway where international law allows. This move has angered China.
READ: US: South China Sea patrols will continue
The regional meeting took place a week after the US sailed its guided missile destroyer USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of China-claimed territory in the Spratlys.
The meeting was also held after the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that it has jurisdiction over a case filed by the Philippines which contests China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
READ: Philippines scores against China in UN arbitration
A report by Star Online in Malaysia said that Southeast Asian defense ministers agreed in the meeting on Tuesday to establish a hotline which would enable them to communicate rapidly in a crisis situation involving maritime disputes.
Four Asean countries —the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea. IDL