US warns it will defend ally if China breaks sea ruling

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing a call to China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s vast claims in the South China Sea. He warned that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines if its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft come under attack in the disputed waters. Blinken’s statement, which was issued Tuesday by the U.S. Embassy in Manila, was released on the sixth anniversary of the 2016 decision by an arbitration tribunal set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea after the Philippine government complained against China’s aggressive actions in the disputed sea. China rejected and continues to defy the ruling.