White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that the United States "will do everything necessary" to ensure that the Philippines can resupply the stranded warship on Second Thomas Shoal. Sullivan also said the United States would prefer the Philippines to be responsible for resupplying the small crew of the Sierra Madre landing ship, which Manila stranded in 1999 to strengthen its countermeasures against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to Reuters.
Sullivan said Friday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that the United States has made it clear to China that the mutual defense treaty signed between the United States and the Philippines applies to the USS Sierra Madre.
"The most important thing now is to see the situation de-escalate and see if the Philippines is able to send in supplies," Sullivan was quoted as saying by Reuters.
In addition, according to international media reports, Sullivan also warned at the Aspen Security Forum that the Biden administration is also preparing to impose new sanctions on Chinese entities that support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and he also hinted that banks may become targets. Bloomberg quoted Sullivan as saying: "We think China should stop." Sullivan also revealed: "As the situation continues to evolve in the coming weeks, more sanctions can be expected."
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, although China has insisted that it is a neutral party and has not provided lethal weapons to any party, the United States and other Western countries believe that China and Russia maintain close political and trade relations and provide dual-use items to Russia, which is funding Russia's war of aggression. Sullivan pointed out that the executive order signed by US President Biden at the end of last year authorized the Treasury Department to track down banks that facilitated the acquisition of dual-use items by the Russian defense industry. He stressed that these investigative tools are by no means decoration.
Sullivan said the White House could take action if it finds that the banks qualify for sanctions. “We have the tools in place to be able to respond to that behavior, and we will respond to that behavior,” he said.
It is reported that this is the latest warning from the Biden administration to Chinese companies helping Russia's defense industry.