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1 1 (June 11, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbxy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E.$~ & p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LIANJILiN, Updated June 11, 2020 The Philippines The United States and the Republic of the Philippines have a deep relationship that includes a bilateral security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close people-to- people ties, and many shared strategic and economic interests. U.S. administration of the Philippines as a colonial territory (1898-1946), which followed 300 years of Spanish rule, also shaped the relationship. Since President Rodrigo Duterte was elected in 2016, his violent antidrug campaign and harassment of political opponents, human rights activists, journalists, and the media, as well as his distrust of the United States and rapprochement with China, have raised concerns among many U.S. policymakers. Among Filipinos, popular support for the U.S.-Philippines relationship is strong. According to a November 2019 survey conducted by Philippines-based Social Weather Stations, 80% of respondents said they had much trust in the United States as an ally (compared to 21% for China). A 2018 Pew poll found that Filipinos prefer U.S. global leadership (77%) over that of China (12%). Despite his antidrug policies and generally nonconfrontational stance toward China, both of which have raised some controversy in the Philippines, Duterte remains popular domestically. Mid-term elections in May 2019 resulted in large pro- Duterte majorities in both houses of the national legislature. R ec- e nt Dev e*1 o p me,,-t s Foreign operations appropriations legislation for FY2020 (P.L. 116-94; S.Rept. 116-126) bars entry of Philippine officials determined to have been involved in the wrongful imprisonment of Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, a leading critic of the antidrug campaign. On January 8, 2020, S.Res. 142, condemning the Philippine government for state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings and calling for the release of Senator De Lima, passed in the Senate. In mid- January 2020, reports emerged that the U.S. visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who ran the antidrug campaign between 2016 and 2018, had been revoked, although the cancellation may have occurred earlier. On February 10, 2020, the Philippines submitted a notice of termination of the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which governs the legal status of U.S. military forces operating in the Philippines and establishes rules by which U.S. troops, vessels, and aircraft may enter the country. On June 2, 2020, the Philippines suspended the termination for six months. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin stated that the suspension was decided in light of political and other developments in the region. The Philippines has recorded over 15,000 cases of COVID- 19 and over 1,000 deaths as of early June 2020. In April 2020, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights criticized several countries, including the Philippines, for violating human rights while implementing coronavirus measures. The United States has provided nearly $19.5 million in pandemic response assistance to the Philippines as of May 2020. The Philippine economy, which has grown at an average rate of over 6% since 2015, is expected to contract in 2020 due to the pandemic, particularly its effects on trade, tourism, and remittances. The- AM, r : s,,,,e n Re -a,. .,, The U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty requires the two countries to help defend each other against external armed attack. In March 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated, As the South China Sea is part of the Pacific, any armed attack of Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels in the South China Sea will trigger mutual defense obligations under Article 4 of our Mutual Defense Treaty. Philippines at a Glance Land Area: Slightly larger than Arizona Population: 109 million Ethnic Groups: Mostly Malay (95%), Chinese, mixed race (Filipino-Spanish, Filipino-Chinese, Filipino-American), and other (5%). Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic (81 %); other Christian (9%); Muslim (5%); other (5%). Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $877 billion (purchasing power parity). Global ranking: 29. Per Capita GDP: $8,400 (purchasing power parity). GDP Composition by Sector: Agiculture (9%); Industry (31 %); Services (60%). Source: Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2020. In contrast to his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, who steered the Philippines strategically towards the United States, Duterte has sought to strengthen ties with China, the Philippines' biggest trading partner and a large source of foreign investment. The Philippines also has expanded its sources of military assistance, including from U.S. allies and strategic partners Australia, Japan, South Korea, and India, as well as from China and Russia. The Philippines remains the largest recipient of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) in Asia and a principal recipient of military assistance under the Department of Defense (DOD) Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative. U.S. military personnel and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) collaborate on counterterrorism efforts, regular joint military exercises, and humanitarian activities. Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), the premier annual bilateral exercise, took place in March 2019 with 7,500 U.S. and Philippine troops and a small military contingent from Australia. Balikatan 2020 was cancelled due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S.- Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

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