US Secretary of Defence to visit the Philippines for security talks
MANILA, Philippines - US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Philippines, the first stop on his first trip to the Indo-Pacific next week, for talks that will include strengthening deterrence against aggression in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine official said Friday.
Hegseth will be in Manila on 28-29 March to meet with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The talks will discuss Beijing's increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea and "more significant support" for Philippine security forces from the Trump administration, Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, told the Associated Press.
Trump's 'America First' foreign policy has raised concerns about the breadth and depth of US engagement in the region during his new term.
"It is a strong message to China about the strong bilateral relationship" between the US and the Philippines, Romualdez said of Hegseth's upcoming visit.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a crucial route for global security and trade. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and heavily trafficked waters, but clashes have particularly intensified over the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coastguard and naval forces.
In his first telephone conversation with Theodore last month, Hegseth 'reaffirmed the United States' firm commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty and its importance in maintaining a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,' according to a report provided by Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot after the 5 February call.
"The leaders discussed the importance of re-establishing deterrence in the South China Sea, including working with allies and partners," Ullyot said. "They also discussed enhancing the capacity and expertise of the Armed Forces of the Philippines."
After major territorial confrontations between Chinese and Filipino forces in the disputed waters, the previous Biden administration had repeatedly warned that the US is obliged to defend the Philippines under the treaty if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under armed attack in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea.
Beijing warned Washington, in response, to stay out of what it calls a purely Asian dispute and to stop actions that endanger regional harmony and stability.
Published by Condoralex
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