Malacañang shrugged off yesterday the signing of a military agreement between the United States and China to enable both countries to hold joint military exercises
“Hindi naman kami dapat mabahala doon [We are not bothered by the joint military exercises]. We have our own strategic interests, the United States has its own strategic interests,” said Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, in an apparent bid to downplay the Army-to Army Dialogue Mechanism signed between the US and China recently.
Lacierda said the Philippine government is already aware of the position of the US on the Philippines’ dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
“We hope that whatever interests they have would also be the same with our interests,” Lacierda added.
“We also know that the US, through a number of its officials, made mention and expressed concern over the South China Sea so we know the position already taken by the US and we will just hope that everything will work for the better in respect to the South China Sea situation,” he added.
The military agreement between the US and China will enable the two countries to hold joint military exercises next year.
Before the signing of the military deal, the US had called on China to stop reclamation works in the disputed South China Sea, while assuring the Philippines of its support to the tracks it had taken in its territorial dispute with the Chinese government.
MANILA BULLETIN
