MANILA: The Philippines welcomed a US commitment to help the country modernize its military amid heightened tensions with China over the South China Sea, the presidential palace said Friday, while a Chinese official said that China had no intention of invading the Philippines. The US pledge, made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario in Washington, was a sign of the “enduring ties” between the two allies, a Philippine government statement said. “We welcome the renewed commitment of both countries to a peaceful, stable, environment in the region,” the statement issued by presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. “The reiteration of our treaty partnership with the United States... is timely,” the statement said, referring to the 1951 mutual defense treaty requiring the United States to provide military aid to the Philippines. Del Rosario's meeting with Clinton follows a growing number of incidents between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea where the two countries have conflicting claims to potentially resource-rich areas. Clinton stressed Thursday that her government was ready to provide much-needed hardware to upgrade the poorly-equipped Philippine military. She also said she was “concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability.” Clinton would not comment specifically on whether the US would provide military assistance in the event of an attack on Philippine forces by China near the disputed Spratly Islands, but said that the US would honor its mutual defense treaty with its Asian ally. “I don't want to discuss hypothetical events but I want to underscore our commitment to the defense of the Philippines,” Clinton told a news conference. Del Rosario said that the Philippines would “do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard” despite its small size compared to the military power of China. Meanwhile, in response to the US pledge, the head of a Chinese government think tank said China has no intention of invading the Philippines. President of the China Institute of International Studies Qu Xing said Friday that US comments were based on a “totally groundless” premise that China would invade the Philippines. “We have never sent troops to invade other countries and we have never used forces against other countries,” Qu told a media briefing. The United States and the Philippines will begin 11 days of maritime security exercises near disputed waters in the South China Sea next week. Lieutenant Noel Cadigal of the Philippine navy said two US guided missile destroyers and a salvage ship would join four Philippine gunboats for gunnery, patrol and interdiction drills off the southern tip of Palawan island.
