US to sell Philippines arms despite no human rights reforms

Washington pressured by Manila as parties negotiate key military pact

20210223 Biden Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte is testing the administration of President Joe Biden by making the supply of military hardware a precondition for renewing a Philippine-U.S. pact. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 

NICK ASPINWALL, Contributing writer

NEW YORK -- The United States has reaffirmed there are "no restrictions" on arms sales to the Philippine military days after Manila called for more robust defense aid as the two nations open negotiations to renew a key military agreement.

"We will continue to look for ways to further strengthen and advance security cooperation that furthers shared security challenges and respects human rights," U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Mike Howard told Nikkei Asia.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.