NEW YORK -- The U.S. is committed to the defense of the Philippines, new Secretary of State Antony Blinken told counterpart Teodoro Locsin Jr. in a phone call Wednesday.
"Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of the mutual defense treaty for the security of both nations, and its clear application to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
