U.S. 'ready' to assist Philippines with South China Sea resupplies

Manila says it will only seek American aid if nationals are on 'verge of dying'

20240829 U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel Paparo and Philippines Army Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr.

Admiral Samuel Paparo of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, left, shakes hands with Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., army chief of staff of the Philippines, during the International Military Law and Operations Conference in Manila on Aug. 27. © Reuters

RAMON ROYANDOYAN, Nikkei staff writer

August 29, 2024 19:50 JST

BAGUIO, Philippines -- The U.S. is ready to assist Filipino resupply missions to outposts in the South China Sea as maritime tensions with China continue to flare, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said on Thursday.

"We stand ready," Paparo told reporters gathered in Baguio, a northern city in Luzon, on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Mutual Defense Board, which was set up in 1958 to improve defense cooperation between the two countries. "It's a matter of policy post-consultation, and there's a range of options that are available."