Foreign government-sanctioned attacks initiated by militia or armed civilians in the South China Sea may trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) of the United States and the Philippines, US ambassador to Manila Sung Kim said. Kim, in an interview with “The Chiefs” aired on Cignal TV’s One News on Friday night, reiterated the US commitment to honor the provisions of the treaty, which binds the two countries to support each other in case of an external attack. “(US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) made clear that because the South China Sea is part of the Pacific, under the treaty itself, any armed attack on Filipino vessels, Filipino aircraft will trigger our obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” he said.

Mateo, J. (2019, June 16). Sea militia attacks could trigger US obligations under defense treaty. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 8.