Beijing opposed to review of Manila's pact with US: Philippine defence chief

MANILA • China has opposed a Philippines-led push for a review of its 70-year-old defence treaty with the United States, Manila's defence minister said, concerned that it could be seen in Beijing as an effort to contain its rise.

The Philippines is keen to amend the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) to make clear the extent to which the United States would protect and defend its ally should it come under attack.

At an event to mark the MDT's 70th anniversary yesterday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he had been urged by a former Chinese diplomat to back off.

"While the US welcomes the idea of revisiting the MDT, an outside party does not," he said.

"The former Chinese ambassador came to me and said, 'Please do not touch the MDT. Leave it as it is'," said Mr Lorenzana.

He later clarified that the conversation had taken place in 2018.

"It did surprise me. I asked him why? He said any attempt to revise the MDT would be construed by the Chinese government as an act to contain the rise of China," Mr Lorenzana said.

Asked how he responded, Mr Lorenzana said: "I just looked at him and smiled."

The push for clarity on Washington's commitment comes amid a rapid build-up of Chinese maritime assets in contested areas of the South China Sea, including what the Philippines says is a militia disguised as a massive fishing fleet near Beijing's militarised manmade islands.

The Philippines has filed dozens of diplomatic protests about the militia and announced it would send another this week.

The Philippine-US alliance has existed for decades, with a rotating presence of US troops for joint exercises, intelligence exchanges and hardware transfers.

Last year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told Washington he was cancelling a Visiting Forces Agreement governing US troop presence in his country amid outrage over a senator and ally being denied a US visa, but he has repeatedly suspended the expiration date initially set for August.

Mr Lorenzana said it was clear that strengthening the MDT was not in China's interests.

"The Chinese, having embedded themselves with their artificial islands, are not in a hurry for any resolution," he told the forum.

"It knew that any aggression it takes will trigger the MDT."

REUTERS