US documents: Defense treaty does not cover Spratlys, Scarborough

THE big reason why we cannot believe Vice President Kamala Harris' assurances of her nation's military support in our territorial disputes in the South China Sea is that the US doctrine on this issue has long been settled and documented: It doesn't recognize the Philippines' and three other nations' territorial nor maritime claims in the Spratlys. It therefore cannot intervene in these disputes if an armed conflict breaks out there.