United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reiterated his country's commitment to a free and open South China Sea on Saturday.China continues to claim ownership of nearly the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 international arbitral ruling that invalidated its claim.Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory were renamed by Manila as the West Philippine Sea.
''''And that includes working closely with our allies in the Philippines to field maritime defensive capabilities and expanding maritime domain awareness across the region,'' he said.Austin mentioned the recent Balikatan exercises between the Philippines, Australia, France, and several other countries.The US government official also expressed his support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.