US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines during a call with his counterpart in Manila in the face of geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea.
“The leaders discussed the importance of re-establishing deterrence in the South China Sea,” and the need to enhance “the capability and capacity” of the Philippine military, a readout of the Wednesday call between Hegseth and Philippine Secretary of Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr said.
The latest remark comes as the Philippines seeks the US’ enduring support as it pushes back against what both sides see as Beijing’s aggressive behavior in the disputed South China Sea.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The Philippines’ top diplomat in Washington is working on a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and US President Donald Trump in the spring.
Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized China’s dangerous and destabilizing” sea actions, sparking a rebuke from Beijing.
Hegseth “reaffirmed the ironclad US commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and its importance for maintaining a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” the Pentagon said.
The call follows a joint maritime drill involving the US, the Philippines, Australia and Japan in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea on Wednesday.
The joint maritime activity aimed to “strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures,” the US 7th Fleet said in a separate statement.
“The US, along with our allies and partners, upholds the right to freedom of navigation and overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to those freedoms,” the 7th fleet said.
The Philippines has turned to the US and other countries to push back against Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea, which were invalidated by an international arbitration ruling in 2016.
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