The United States congratulated the Philippines for “eloquently laying out the Philippines’ position on the South China Sea (SCS).” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III met on the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, to update each other on the progress made by both countries since the recent SQUAD meeting in Hawaii. The “SQUAD” is the quadrilateral alliance among the US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, which had a series of meetings in Hawaii with Austin last month. The four countries held marine military drills in April.

Lee-Brago, P. (2024, June 3). US congratulates Pll for 'eloquently' expressing SCS position. The Philippine Star, p. 2.