U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that deterrence is necessary in the South China Sea considering the threat from communist China, and emphasized that the United States and the Philippines must stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” to ensure stability in the region.
Hegseth made the Philippines the first stop of his Asia trip on Friday, followed by Japan, a move that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said sent a “strong message” about Washington’s commitment to their alliance.
During their televised meeting, Hegseth told Marcos that President Donald Trump “thinks very fondly of this great country” and expressed a desire to strengthen defense cooperation with the Philippines.
“He and I both want to express the ironclad commitment we have to the Mutual Defense Treaty and to the partnership, economically, militarily,” the Pentagon chief said at the meeting, which was broadcast by the Philippines’ president.
Hegseth affirmed that the United States recognizes the Philippines’ stance on the disputed South China Sea—where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims sovereignty over nearly the entire sea, including reefs and islands that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of neighboring countries—and underscored the need for the two allied nations to work together to deter threats. […]
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