The Philippines will sign no military agreements with China because maintaining its Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States will guarantee its national security, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
“Striking a defense deal with another military superpower would be illogical, Locsin told the Oxford Business Group on Tuesday.
He said the Philippines will continue to be a strong ally of the United States, the only military superpower, but it has nothing against maintaining strong economic ties with China.
“The United States remains the only military ally of the Philippines. It is distant enough to interfere with our internal policies, yet strong enough to project its power in the region and to protect us if the need arises, Locsin said.
He said the Philippines will not sign a defense deal with China, but Manila can still sign economic agreements with that country
Still, the Philippines will not relinquish its claims to the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said.
In 2016, the Philippines scored a victory when the United Nations arbitral court rejected China’s Nine-Dash Line claim to the West Philippine Sea.
Locsin said the Philippines’ defense treaty with the US had been effective in maintaining peace in the Southeast Asian region amid the territorial disputes in the area.
He said the Philippines should maintain its relations with other countries, especially those with those hosting Filipino workers.
“In order to protect [our workers abroad], we work towards strengthening our relations with the host countries, making sure that our foreign policy and votes in the United Nations do not antagonize the governments hosting our citizens, Locsin said.
