NSC: Beijing invented new version of ‘Ayungin deal’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he warned China directly about its assertive moves around the Philippines and vowed to defend its oldest treaty ally in the region. “I made clear that while the US will continue to de-escalate tensions, our defense commitments to the Philippines remain ironclad,” Blinken told reporters in Beijing. Blinken, who met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said...