United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin congratulated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for “eloquently laying out the Philippines’ position on the South China Sea,” the Department of National Defense said Sunday.

Austin also reassured the Philippines of the US’ continuous commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty as he met with DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on 1 June for a formal bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Teodoro responded to Austin by expressing his “appreciation to the US for supporting President Marcos' thesis which underscores that rights of small states.”

Meanwhile, Teodoro and Austin update each other on the progress made by both countries since the recent SQUAD meeting in Hawaii.

Further, Austin reiterated the point he made when he tried to raise China's threat in the Pacific, noting that the MDT between the US and the Philippines was ironclad.

“The harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous — pure and simple. And we all share an interest in ensuring that the South China Sea remains open and free. We are beyond friends and allies, we are family. What affects you, affects us,” he stressed.

For his part, Teodoro shared the DND’s ongoing effort to upgrade the Philippines' capabilities in line with the introduction of its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC).

He, likewise, emphasized the importance of exploring more ways to further deepen and enhance the alliance of the two countries, especially in cybersecurity, information sharing, and other areas.

After taking up matters of mutual concern, Teodoro and Austin are looking forward to this year's ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM+ in Prabang, Lao, PDR, in November.