US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that Washington under US President Donald Trump remained committed to the Philippines’ defense, as tensions simmer with Beijing in the South China Sea.
In a call with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Rubio “underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty,” US Department of State spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
Rubio, a longtime hawk on China, discussed the “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” by the People’s Republic of China.
Photo: Reuters
“Secretary Rubio conveyed that the PRC’s behavior undermines regional peace and stability, and is inconsistent with international law,” Bruce said.
US leaders have repeatedly stood by the Philippines, a treaty ally and former US colony, but Trump is known for questioning alliances, including NATO, claiming allied nations treat the US unfairly by not paying more for defense.
Rubio made the call with his Philippine counterpart a day after a veiled warning to Beijing on the South China Sea during a four-way meeting with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia.
The Philippines has engaged in increasingly tense confrontations with China over disputed South China Sea waters and reefs over the past year.
China claims most of the strategic waterway, despite an international tribunal ruling that its claim lacked any legal basis.
Manila and Washington have deepened their defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea.
Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro also met with US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz at the White House on Wednesday to “discuss critical security matters,” the Philippine Department of National Defense said in a statement.
Teodoro “highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral defense ties in addressing emerging geopolitical challenges,” the statement said.
“Waltz and his team underscored the need to enhance cooperation with the Philippines and looked forward to increasing mutual security activities in support of a free and global Indo-Pacific [region],” it added.
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