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U.S. Will Be Philippines' Only Military Ally, Foreign Chief Says

Southeast Asian nation doesn’t need any other, Locsin says
Duterte last week told China to ‘lay off’ disputed island

Mike Pompeo and Teodoro Locsin at a news conference in Manila on March 1 — Mike Pompeo and Teodoro Locsin at a news conference in Manila on March 1Photographer: Andrew Harnik/AFP via Getty Images

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April 8, 2019, 1:38 AM UTC

The U.S. will remain the Philippines’ only military ally, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said, amid an increased Chinese presence near a disputed island in the South China Sea.

The U.S. is “the only world power that is a bastion of democracy and human rights, is and will remain our only military ally. We don’t need any other,” he tweeted on Sunday.