US Senate Reaffirms Defense of PH and Japan in West PH Sea

The US Senate passed July 10 a bipartisan resolution reaffirming US defense treaty obligations with the Philippines and Japan, which are in a separate dispute with China over unoccupied islands in Asian seas, reports Inquirer.net. Meanwhile, the US State Department proposed that Asian nations not build new outposts or expand existing ones in the South China Sea to help lower the risk of a conflict as tensions mount in its resource-rich waters.