The Philippines and the United States said they will work together to bolster cooperation against threats to rule of law in the region, including China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities” in the South China Sea.

The US set to increase cutting-edge missile and unmanned systems to the Philippines, while an additional $144 million from the US Department of War will fund infrastructure development in existing Philippine military sites that will be utilized by American troops  under their Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

In a joint statement, Philippines and the US detailing the direction of their security cooperation after meeting in Manila for the 12th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD).

Both sides said “collective defense is critical to denying and deterring aggression anywhere in the First Island Chain” as they denounced China’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea.

China’s behavior, they said, have “adverse effects on regional peace and stability and the economies of the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”

“Both sides condemned China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities in the South China Sea,” according to their joint statement.

They reiterated that their Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks against either country’s armed forces, aircraft, and public vessels – including those of their coast guards – anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.

The 1951 defense pact signed between Manila and Washington, binds the two allies to come to each other’s aid from aggression and help defend the other party.

Philippine and US also said they are committed to “preserving freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and other lawful uses of the sea for all nations.”

Over the next five years, Washington is allocating $2.5 billion worth of security assistance to the Philippines, its biggest defense assistance so far to its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

“Both sides underscored their unwavering commitment to uphold a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific, grounded in mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” their statement said.

“They committed to maintaining a vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific to prevent conflict and to developing strong measures along with the deterrence to keep sea lanes open and not subject to arbitrary control by one country.”

Territorial disputes in the busy and resource-rich waterway have sparked occasional violence and has been regarded as a potential regional flashpoint for armed conflict.  It has also been at the center of a strategic rivalry between China and the US.

China, which considers the sea disputes a purely Asian issue, is opposed to any foreign intervention, particularly from the US.

Defying China, Manila and Washington agreed in the meeting to “increase the tempo of multilateral cooperation with like-minded countries,” including through maritime cooperative activities in the West Philippine Sea, bilateral and multilateral military drills, and security cooperation coordination.

The Philippines and the US also welcomed improved multilateral cooperation with allied partners, including Australia and Japan, as their forces train together to brace for any contingency.

The US added that it will boost the Philippines’ capacity to monitor and respond to maritime challenges and illegal maritime activity, such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

China’s assertive behavior in the resource-rich waters also prompted serious concerns and condemnations from several countries after its coast guard vessels have repeatedly blasted water cannons, used military-grade lasers and blocked Philippine government ships from conducting patrols in the West Philippine Sea, that part of the South China Sea that is nearest to the Philippine archipelago.

The years-long disputes also involve Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.