Ranking committee members are concerned by recent standoffs in the South China Sea.
Two senior senators sent a letter requesting that President Joe Biden provide Congress with a list of options to mitigate ongoing tensions between China and the Philippines. The United States is bound by a 70-year-old mutual defense agreement to defend the Philippines if any attack is launched at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel moved against a Filipino ship in what Manila described as “intentional-high speed ramming,” causing a Filipino sailor to lose a finger.
“We must respond with visible and concrete demonstrations of our support. Anything short of this risks our appearing unwilling to honor our bilateral commitments,” said Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Jim Risch of Idaho, the ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
They continued, “We request your administration provide us with a full list of military, diplomatic, and economic options developed by the Departments of State and Defense to support the Philippines and deter further escalation by the PRC (People’s Republic of China).”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Senators Wicker and Risch as they serve on their respective committees and provide federal oversight.
- For discernment for President Biden and his advisors as they review the request regarding support for the Philippines.
Sources: Reuters
