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A top US official on Thursday told a Chinese counterpart that Washington’s defense commitments to the Philippines were “ironclad” after a violent clash in the West Philippine Sea.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell “raised serious concerns” about Chinese actions in a call with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, the State Department said.
Campbell “reiterated that US commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty remain ironclad,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.