MANILA — The United States plans to increase its presence in the South China Sea to secure and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the US has announced a US$60-million investment in new regional maritime initiatives throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

US Coast Guard assets and personnel can also be rapidly deployed upon request of partners for maritime training, capacity building as well as security cooperation.

“We have a significant presence here already. The United States Coast Guard has a presence in the Indo-Pacific region. We intend to advance that presence in more areas here," Mayorkas said.

He added that the US government is also "rapidly deploying" assets and initial personnel throughout the region for maritime training and capacity building, among others.

"Our work here is diverse and we are very invested in it,” Mayorkas said.

While he declined to discuss more details, Mayorkas assured the United States is committed to assisting allies in protecting their sovereignty.

“One of our, of course, foundational principles is to respect and to protect the sovereignty of all nations and that is something to which we adhere and our presence in this region is to partner with our allies so that sovereignty is indeed secure,” Mayorkas said.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Watch more News on iWantTFC