Trump Administration: Manila Still Has Washington’s ‘Ironclad’ Backing In South China Sea

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By Jason Gutierrez

The newly installed Trump administration has quickly reaffirmed America’s strong support for the Philippines in the face of an increasingly aggressive China in the disputed South China Sea, despite doubts to the contrary voiced by some observers.

In a call with Filipino counterpart Enrique Manalo on Wednesday (Manila time), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington remained committed to Manila’s defense amid tensions with Beijing over the waterway. It marked the first time an inducted official in President Donald Trump’s cabinet had expressed full-throated backing on the security issue affecting the Philippines.

Among the concerns that Rubio and Manalo discussed was China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement

“Secretary Rubio conveyed that [China’s] behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” she said. “The Secretary underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty.”

The assurance by the new top American diplomat comes amid worries by some security experts that President Trump might pay less attention to Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, which has been working to shore up international support against China in the contested waters.

China lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea, but its claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Over the past few months, Manila and Beijing faced off in a series of confrontations at sea.

Signed in 1951, the treaty commits both the U.S. and the Philippines to come to each other’s aid in times of external attacks. Under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, Washington said that the scenario included armed attacks in the South China Sea. 

However, that did not prevent China from carrying out activities in the region. Recently, Beijing dispatched Chinese Coast Guard ship 5901 – the world’s largest coast guard vessel – to waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

On X, Manalo said he and Rubio discussed the importance of the alliance between Manila and Washington for the “prosperity and security” of the region.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Rubio and his team towards addressing challenges and sustaining the momentum and positive trajectory in our bilateral relations,” Manalo said.

Rubio’s call with Manalo occurred after the new secretary of state met with his counterparts from Australia, India, and Japan in Washington on Tuesday, a day after Trump returned to the White House.

The United States and the three countries form the so-called “Quad” grouping, revived under the first Trump presidency. It was considered a pillar of the Biden administration’s efforts to counter China, which regarded the grouping as a U.S. tool to ensure American global hegemony.

In the Quad meeting, the four nations reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region and “strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force including in the East and South China Seas,” according to a statement by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Takeshi Iwaya, Japan’s top diplomat, also met separately with Rubio where they discussed several issues, including the importance of “further developing coordination of like-minded countries,” such as the trilateral alliance of Tokyo, Washington, and Manila.

During his confirmation hearing last week, Rubio called China’s actions in the region “deeply destabilizing” and urged the nation against making anything “rash or irrational” towards the Philippines and Taiwan.

“In the last 48 hours, there’s this massive, I don’t even know how to describe it, but this massive ship that the Chinese have built that’s like headed towards the Philippines. And the Philippines feels threatened by it. Rightfully so. We’ve seen this on a daily basis, the harassment and so forth, but on a daily basis,” Rubio said.

“[China really needs] to stop messing around with Taiwan and the Philippines because it’s forcing us to focus our attention in ways we prefer not to have to.”

Regarded by analysts as a “hawk” when it comes to policy relations with China, Rubio, a former Republican senator from Florida and son of Cuban immigrants, has been blacklisted by Beijing in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials over China’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minority and its handling of Hong Kong.

Reacting to Rubio’s call with Manalo, Beijing on Thursday said that Washington was “not a party” to the dispute and that Chinese activities in the region were “legitimate, lawful, and fully justified.”

“The U.S. is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

‘Renewed commitment’ under Trump administration

On Wednesday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to discuss the two nations’ “enduring alliance,” according to the Filipino official’s office.

The meeting “marked a significant step in further advancing the decades-long alliance between the Philippines and the United States, signaling a renewed commitment to collaboration under the Trump administration,” said Filipino defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong.

The meeting, held at the White House, occurred two days after Trump took office. 

The Philippines, through Teodoro, was among the first countries to engage the new U.S. administration and discuss security matters, Andolong 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, an initiative dating back to Trump’s first presidency,” he also said.

Last week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Navy staged joint maneuvers in Manila’s EEZ within South China Sea waters, their first this calendar year.

Jojo Riñoza and Jeoffrey Maitem in Manila contributed to this report.

BenarNews

BenarNews’ mission is to provide readers with accurate news and information that reflects the complex and ever-changing world around them. With homepages in Bengali, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and English, BenarNews brings timely news to its diverse audience. Copyright BenarNews. Used with the permission of BenarNews

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