‘US, Philiipines alliance promotes regional stability’

MANILA, Philippines — A strong United States-Philippines alliance can deter aggression and promote regional stability, the State Department’s top diplomat for East Asia said yesterday.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said that US partnership with the Philippines is critical as it could help the two countries realize clearly their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, with thriving sovereign nations. 

“I look forward to continued coordination in the coming months to determine steps we can take to improve our combined defense posture,” Stilwell said in a statement on strategic priorities in the Philippines on the second day of the Eighth US-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) in Manila.

Stilwell and Assistant Secretary of Defense Randall Schriver led the US delegation to the BSD, the principal forum for discussing the broad spectrum of US-Philippines cooperation, including defense, economics, rule of law and regional diplomacy.

His visits to Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand from July 10 to 21 are his first under his current portfolio.

“As Secretary Pompeo said during his visit to Manila earlier this year, where America goes, we seek partnership, not domination,” Stilwell said.

The US, he said, is committed to continuing its partnership with the Philippines to fight the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.