QUESTION: Okay. Secretary of State Blinken, it is an honor to have you at the helm. I’m Karen Davila. Tell us about your meeting with President Marcos this morning.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, it was truly an honor and a pleasure to see the president, to be able to spend so much time with him and cover so much. And I think that’s a reflection of the depth and breadth of the partnership between the United States and the Philippines. There was a lot to talk about and that’s the fact – and I think the president said this very well: When we think about all the challenges that we face and that our people face, no country can solve them alone. And this gives even greater importance to the partnership between our countries. Working together, we can achieve much more for Filipinos and Americans.
QUESTION: What were your first impressions of the president?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, again, what was, I think, impressive to me is how many different areas we were able to cover in our conversation. But something he said really stood out, which is: We’re all thinking about the recovery from COVID given the impact it’s had, but I think, as the president said, it’s not going to go back to where things were before COVID- And. It’s really about getting things moving so that we can address some of the challenges, and also the opportunities, of the 21st century economy. Those are the terms in which we have to think about this.
QUESTION: Your visit comes at a very volatile time in Asia and you reiterated your commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: That’s right.
QUESTION: But this is a contract from 1951. Times have changed. How do you see the contract evolving into something relevant to today’s challenges?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, it’s interesting because it’s all – a reflection of an important fact. There is a huge history between the United States and the Philippines, and we often talk about it. But what is even more important in a sense than that is the living history, the history that we are creating together right now. And that means making sure we adapt together to the present and new realities, including the Mutual Defense Treaty. So this is a – in a way, a living document, and as we understand the changes and challenges we face, it too can adapt.
QUESTION: President Marcos described it as one in constant evolution. How does the Biden administration see the Mutual Defense Treaty as it continues to evolve with the challenges we all face today?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, we’re in a region that’s going through extraordinary change, and it’s also a region that we share – we’re also a Pacific country – and a region that has extraordinary opportunities. The Indo-Pacific is home to 60 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of economic output—it’s all here. But security is vital to ensuring that people can live free, secure lives; economies can flourish; trade, trade can move freely. And what underpins that is security, and the partnership between the Philippines and the United States is critical to that. Freedom of navigation, freedom of the seas, things like fishing that are so important to thousands, tens of thousands of livelihoods – it’s all part of the security partnership that we have.
QUESTION: Yes. Now, you talked about fishing and I find that very interesting. Given that the United States is not a stakeholder, shall we say, or a claimant country, what role do you see the US taking to essentially help resolve the struggles that the Philippines has with that particular area in the West Philippine Sea?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, it’s important to us that all countries, including the United States, play by the rules. There is also an international order that has developed over the years. After World War II – two world wars – countries came together and said: we don’t want this to happen again. And what grew out of that was what we call the “international rules-based order,” based on the United Nations Charter, based on international law that grew out of that, including, for example, the Law of the Sea.
And from our perspective, it’s very important to respect the law, to respect the rules, to respect the norms that the countries have agreed upon together, because even if it’s something that we’re not directly involved in, if we allow these things to erode, if international law is violated with impunity, then everything threatens to erode and fall apart. So we have a stake in ensuring that the rules-based order is respected wherever it is. And of course, we are allies with the Philippines.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So, the future of the Philippines, the security of the Philippines, the welfare of the Filipino people are important to us as allies, as friends and partners.
QUESTION: And, Minister Blinken, when it comes to strengthening this relationship, I’m curious: Do you see, for example, the importance? What do you think about, for example, joint navigation exercises? I mean, this was put on hold during the last administration. Do you think it is important and vital for the Philippines to have them?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: I think there are many things we can do together beyond what we’ve done in the past or what we’re doing now. And we have almost daily, if not hourly, contact in so many areas. I will leave that to my colleagues, for example in the Pentagon. But I think based on my conversations, including with the foreign minister, it’s clear that there is more that we can do together, not just in the security area. We are working together on climate change. We work together on health, including on COVID —
QUESTION: Okay. Secretary, I don’t – I wanted to ask you: With Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, what role should the Philippines take on given that – the proximity of China, Taiwan and the Philippines. What role do we have as a country?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, look, first, I think it’s important to note this: On the one hand, we have a leader in Congress visiting Taiwan, as many members of Congress have done, including this year alone probably 10 or more delegations coming from our Congress. And then this response by Beijing, including launching 11 ballistic missiles – half of them landed very close – to the sea near Japan – conducting military maneuvers, placing ships in places near the Taiwan Strait that could have prevented trade moving through the strait. And so much trade moves that strait, which is crucial to the global supply chain. If it is interrupted, it will be a problem for everyone.
So I think that this reaction from China is something that is of great concern to countries throughout the region and even beyond. That’s what I’ve heard in the few days I’ve been here, including recently in Cambodia. They look to the United States, they look to China to act responsibly, and when there are differences between the United States and China, for us to manage them responsibly. That’s what we’re focused on. So we will not overreact and hope that China will engage in responsible management of the differences that we have.
What is also very unfortunate is that China just announced today that it is ending cooperation with the United States in a number of areas including working together on climate change. China is now the largest broadcaster in the world. If it doesn’t participate in dealing with climate change—and the effects that Filipinos feel every day with major new storms and other disruptions—if China doesn’t participate, it doesn’t punish us; it is the punishment of the world. And at the very least, we should be able to continue to cooperate in areas where there are global issues, even if we have differences in other areas.
QUESTION: My last question is: the “pivot to Asia” was a buzzword of your predecessor – is there a new definition of the “pivot to Asia” now that will make it more relevant and meaningful to our future needs and challenges facing the world?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, I think that’s directly relevant, and it goes back to a couple of things that we talked about. One belief is that none of us alone can face the challenges of our time, whether it’s about COVID, or about the climate, or about the impact that all these new technologies have on our lives. We have to find ways to work on them together because none of us can really effectively make enough of a difference doing it alone.
And it goes back to the point that here in the Indo-Pacific with 60 percent of the world’s population, if we don’t work together, there’s no way we can solve these challenges and actually take advantage of the opportunities. And as we do that together, I think it goes back to something that President Marcos said – we have to think about it in terms of where the world, where our economies are going in the future – not based on the past. One of the things we do, of which the Philippines is an original member, is the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: This is a way of working together to shape the issues that really affect the lives of our people. The whole digital economy that’s so important, that’s a big part of it; supply chain assurance —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — are strong and resilient. We have all experienced what happens when these supply chains are disrupted; making sure we get investment in new infrastructure, clean energy, because that’s going to be very important –
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — in the future; and of course ensuring that governance is strong, we (inaudible) corruption which is so destabilizing and a waste of resources. All these things are part of our vision for the Indo-Pacific. This is something we are partnering with the Philippines in.
QUESTION: Will we see the United States support the Philippines in clean energy? The President mentioned nuclear energy in his speech.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yes. It is – and two things. I just came from an extraordinary showcase of projects here in the Philippines that are finding innovative, entrepreneurial answers to some of the biggest energy challenges we face. And some of the projects that I’ve seen that are actually in place here in the Philippines, I think will answer questions and challenges not only in the Philippines, but around the world – and that’s Filipino innovation. We are very proud to have been able to work with the United States Government in support of some of these projects.
I think nuclear power is a big part of the answer to future energy needs and dealing with climate change. We have a partnership with the Philippines where we can work together on nuclear energy and that’s something I’ve discussed with the president. We look forward to achieving this together.
QUESTION: Okay. Secretary Blinken —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you, Karen.
QUESTION: — thank you very much for this interview. I wish we had more time.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
