President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Malacanang Palace on July 30, 2024. Handout photo from Bongbong Marcos on Facebook

The foreign and defense ministers of the Philippines and the United States met in Manila on Tuesday to deepen their coordination on the South China Sea amid increased Chinese military activity, with Washington expected to reveal $500 million in defense support.

Before the security talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro, the top US officials paid a courtesy call on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacanang Palace.

Marcos Jr receives Blinken, Austin in Malacañang

Blinken reaffirmed US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights, according to a statement from the Defense Department, with the three officials discussing ways to continue working closely with like-minded nations such as Australia and Japan on strengthening the rule of law, freedom of the seas and respect for territorial sovereignty.

The "two-plus-two" talks were held in the Philippines for the first time, following the previous round in April 2023 in Washington.

The two countries announced in April that they were aiming to finalize a military intelligence-sharing accord, called the General Security of Military Information Agreement, by the end of 2024.

Tuesday's security talks followed a number of confrontations between the Philippines and China near disputed shoals in the South China Sea. On June 17, Chinese coast guard ships rammed several Philippine inflatable boats, causing a Filipino soldier to lose a finger.

China has become increasingly assertive in the resource-rich South China Sea, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated its claim to almost all of the waters.