Kerry receives Philippines' thanks for U.S. help after typhoon

MANILA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke in Manila Tuesday of American involvement in helping rebuild the Philippines after a devastating November typhoon.

"Since the typhoon hit, I'm proud to say the United States has worked very, very closely with our partners in the Philippines," he said at a news conference after Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario expressed his appreciation of U.S. involvement.

Kerry added the United States committed $40 million to an initiative to "improve the Philippines' maritime security and maritime domain awareness" in light of China's recent expansion of its sovereignty in the East China Sea.