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1 1 (August 17, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveejx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Inom ig th le itv eaesne11 The Philippines Updated August 17, 2021 Overview 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. Public opinion surveys indicate that support for the U.S.-Philippines relationship is strong among Filipinos. President Rodrigo Duterte, elected in 2016, remains popular domestically, according to opinion polls. Duterte's overall approval rating is high despite his violent anti-drug campaign, an economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and some controversial foreign policy stances, including reducing Philippine dependence on the United States and developing deeper ties with China. There are large Duterte- aligned majorities in both chambers of the legislature. Recent Developments On July 30, 2021, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana announced that the Philippines had agreed to re-commit to 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. The move reversed a February 2020 decision in which the Philippines sought to terminate the agreement. The Philippine Constitution limits the President to one, six- year term. Preparations for the next Presidential election, scheduled for May 2022, have begun. In July 2021, Duterte said he is seriously thinking of running for Vice- President, sparking speculation he could be part of a future administration. (The Philippine President and Vice- President are elected separately and may be from different political parties.) A wide range of presidential candidates have expressed interest in running. As of mid-August 2021, the World Health Organization reported approximately 1.6 million COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, and 28,000 deaths. About 11% of the population was fully vaccinated. On July 30, the government reimposed lockdown measures in the Manila metropolitan area. Most vaccines, both purchased and donated, have come from China and the United States. The Alliance and Defense Relations President Duterte has expressed distrust in the United States and sought to strengthen ties with China, the Philippines' leading trade partner and a large source of foreign investment. However, some of Duterte's ambitions to garner major infrastructure investment from Beijing have been unsuccessful, and the Philippines has intensified its efforts to protest Chinese incursions into disputed areas of the South China Sea that Manila considers to be part of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Philippines has expanded its sources of foreign military assistance from beyond the United States, including from U.S. allies and strategic partners Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea, as well as from China and Russia. Figure I. The Philippines at a Glance Source: Map, CRS. Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2021. On July 30, 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Philippine Defense Secretary Lorenzana, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the bilateral Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and emphasizing the value of the VFA to the bilateral security relationship, supporting more than 300 annual joint military engagements. The MDT requires the two countries to help defend each other against external armed attack, and Biden Administration officials have stated that the MDT applies to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea. The Philippines remains the largest recipient of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) in East Asia and was a principal recipient of assistance under the Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative (2016- 2021). U.S. military personnel and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hold regular bilateral military exercises and maritime patrols, collaborate on counterterrorism efforts, and conduct joint humanitarian activities. A scaled- down version of Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), the premier annual bilateral military exercise, took place in March 2021 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Duterte suspended U.S.-Philippine joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea in 2016, although they were resumed ittps://crsreports.congress.gc

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