,,iii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #dji ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ah 7legislative day1 ,september #af71 #bjbe ,mr4 ,ricketts 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,budd1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mrs4 ,fischer1 and ,mr4 ,bennet7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing the #gdth anniversary of the signing of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines and the strong bilateral security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and political lawfare by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,south ,china ,sea4 ,whereas the ,united ,states and the ,philippines have maintained diplomatic relations for #gi years1 founded on the basis of deeply interconnected strategic and economic interests and close bonds between our two populations2 ,whereas the ,united ,states-,philippines partnership was forged in blood1 as more than #bj1jjj ,americans and hundreds of thousands of ,filipinos were killed during the ,philippines campaigns during ,world ,war ,,ii2 ,whereas1 following the ,japanese invasion and occupation of the ,philippines from #aida to #aide1 the former ,united ,states commonwealth secured its official independence on ,july #d1 #aidf2 ,whereas1 in ,march #aidg1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines signed a ,military ,bases ,agreement2 ,whereas1 on ,august #cj1 #aiea1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines signed a ,mutual ,defense ,treaty2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty makes clear the ,united ,states-,philippine collective intent to resolve international disputes peacefully1 undertake separate and joint development of the capacity to resist attack1 and consult with one another when the territorial integrity1 political independence1 or security of the ,united ,states or the ,philippines is under threat of external armed attack in the ,pacific2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty is the foundation of our security alliance and all other enabling defense agreements between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines1 including the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement2 ,whereas the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement allows for a strengthened ,united ,states military presence in the ,philippines to increase bilateral cooperation and interoperability and to provide training to the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines1 with increased rotation of ,united ,states military personnel and assistance devoted to strengthening the territorial defense and humanitarian and maritime operations of the ,philippines2 ,whereas1 in ,february #bjbc1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines committed to designating four additional locations under the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement1 increasing the total from five to nine2 ,whereas those locations have strategic value for the ,united ,states and the ,philippines1 increase confidence in the alliance1 and provide real opportunities for operational cooperation to advance shared security priorities2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty serves as a deterrent against the increasing territorial aggression by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,south ,china ,sea2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china began unlawfully extending its territorial and sovereignty claims in the ,south ,china ,sea under its nine-dash line construct1 violating the territorial rights and internationally recognized exclusive economic zones of the ,philippines1 ,brunei1 ,malaysia1 and ,vietnam2 ,whereas1 since #bjad1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the ,south ,china ,sea via the construction of militarized artificial islands2 ,whereas1 on ,september #be1 #bjae1 at the ,white ,house1 ,president of the ,people's ,republic of ,china ,xi ,jinping stated that ,china does not intend to pursue militarization of the ,spratly ,islands and ,china's outposts would not target or impact any country2 ,whereas1 on ,july #ab1 #bjaf1 the arbitral tribunal constituted under ,annex ,,vii to the ,united ,nations ,convention on the ,law of the ,sea unanimously decided to invalidate the ,people's ,republic of ,china's claim to nearly #ij percent of the ,south ,china ,sea1 including areas determined by the tribunal to be part of the ,philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf2 ,whereas1 despite the decision being final and legally binding1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 which refused to participate in the arbitration1 has continued to reject and further violate the decision2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china has employed a variety of assertive and aggressive tactics against the ,philippines1 including through its coast guard1 research vessels1 and commercial maritime vessels1 to coerce and enforce its arbitrary and unlawful territorial claims in the ,south ,china ,sea1 such as by ramming1 shadowing1 blocking1 encircling1 firing water cannons at1 and using military-grade lasers against ,philippine civilian ships and military vessels2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china has repeatedly denied the ,philippines from lawfully delivering humanitarian supplies to members of the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines stationed at the ,,brp ,sierra ,madre at ,second ,thomas ,shoal2 ,whereas1 on ,june #ag1 #bjbd1 coast guard sailors from the ,people's ,republic of ,china brandished knives and other weapons in a clash with ,philippine naval vessels attempting to resupply marines on ,second ,thomas ,shoal1 resulting in a severe injury to a member of the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines2 ,whereas1 on ,august #bg1 #bjbd1 the ,commander of the ,united ,states ,indo-,pacific ,command1 ,admiral ,samuel ,paparo1 said the ,united ,states military is open to consultations with the ,philippines about escorting ,philippine ships delivering food and other supplies to the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines in the ,south ,china ,sea2 ,whereas1 on ,december #d1 #bjbd1 ,chinese ,coast ,guard and ,,pla ,navy vessels conducted dangerous maneuvers near ,scarborough ,shoal1 deploying water cannons against ,philippine ,coast ,guard vessels2 ,whereas1 on ,february #ah1 #bjbe1 a ,chinese ,,pla ,navy helicopter flew as close as #c meters above a ,philippine aircraft conducting a routine flight over ,scarborough ,shoal2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjbe1 ,secretary of ,defense ,pete ,hegseth visited the ,philippines for his first trip to an ,indo-,pacific partner1 and committed to deploy additional advanced military capabilities to the ,philippines1 conduct bilateral training between both nations for high-end operations1 prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation1 and launch a bilateral cyber campaign2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbe1 the ,chinese ,coast ,guard temporarily deployed on ,sandy ,cay1 an unoccupied reef located two miles from ,manila's largest outpost in the ,south ,china ,sea1 and placed a ,chinese flag1 indicating an intention to annex1 expand1 and possibly militarize the feature2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbe1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines conducted ,exercise ,balikatan #bjbe1 the largest-ever iteration in its #dj-year history that included participation by more than #ad1jjj ,u4,s41 ,filipino1 ,australian1 and ,japanese service members as well as the first deployment of the ,navy-,marine ,expeditionary ,ship ,interdiction ,system 7,,nmesis72 ,whereas1 on ,august #aa1 #bjbe1 a ,china ,coast ,guard vessel executed a dangerous maneuver and collided with a ,chinese ,navy vessel as it was harassing a ,philippine ,coast ,guard vessel conducting a humanitarian mission within the ,philippines' exclusive economic zone at ,scarborough ,shoal2 and ,whereas ,august #cj1 #bjbe1 marked the #gdth anniversary of the signing of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 celebrates the #gdth anniversary of the signing of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines and the longstanding alliance between our two nations2 7#b7 appreciates the trust of the ,philippine people in the bilateral alliance and their support for increased defense cooperation and ,united ,states military presence in the ,philippines2 7#c7 acknowledges the determination of the people and the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines to resist coercion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#d7 condemns the ,people's ,republic of ,china's unprovoked aggression and political lawfare in the ,south ,china ,sea to enforce its unlawful territorial and sovereignty claims2 7#e7 rejects the ,people's ,republic of ,china's coercive and destabilizing plans to establish a so-called national nature reserve at ,scarborough ,reef2 7#f7 reaffirms that ,article ,,iv of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty extends to armed attacks on the ,armed ,forces1 public vessels1 or aircraft of the ,philippines1 including the ,philippine ,coast ,guard1 anywhere in the ,south ,china ,sea2 7#g7 considers aggression by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,philippines' internationally recognized exclusive economic zone to be a direct assault on its sovereignty and territorial integrity2 7#h7 urges the ,president to continue to take appropriate and necessary actions in response to escalatory behavior of the ,people's ,republic of ,china in order to restore deterrence and help the ,philippines defend itself2 7#i7 supports the unwavering commitment of the ,united ,states to deepening security cooperation with the ,philippines1 including advancing ,philippine defense modernization and enhancing interoperability through military exercises1 training1 joint patrols1 and increased information sharing2 7#aj7 supports other nations growing their political and security partnerships with the ,philippines2 7#aa7 commits to advance cooperation among the ,united ,states1 the ,philippines1 ,japan1 ,south ,korea1 and ,australia2 and 7#ab7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to the right to freedom of navigation and overflight1 respecting maritime rights under international law1 and ensuring a free and open ,indo-,pacific4