US cites China ‘aggression,’ vows deeper PH-Japan deterrence
The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to defend the Philippines under its 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, linking Manila’s security concerns to Washington’s in the wake of what it described as China’s “increased aggression” in the West Philippine Sea.
Speaking at a US-Philippines Society trilateral panel in Makati City on Tuesday, US Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Y. Robert Ewing said Philippine concerns are US concerns, particularly in response to Beijing’s actions in contested waters.
“Building credible deterrence is a shared responsibility,” Ewing said, citing expanded cooperation among the United States, the Philippines and Japan.
He pointed to “Balikatan” 2025, the annual US-Philippines military exercise that included Japan as a participant, as well as a 2025 trilateral coast guard exercise off Kagoshima involving 350 personnel from the three countries.
Economic, tech initiatives
Ewing said the allies also reaffirmed their commitment to regional peace, stability and freedom of navigation during the 2025 Asean Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Beyond defense cooperation, he highlighted economic and technology initiatives under the trilateral partnership, including the Luzon Economic Corridor, which focuses on transportation, energy and digital infrastructure projects.
He also mentioned the launch of an Open Radio Access Network laboratory at the University of the Philippines, support for workforce development related to the Philippines’ civil nuclear program, and efforts to strengthen cyber defense capabilities.
The United States, Ewing said, remains committed to expanding maritime cooperation and accelerating private investment in sectors, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and liquefied natural gas.
Trump-Xi meeting
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez also made a similar statement, expressing confidence that the United States will not abandon the Philippines even as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping seek more direct talks to resolve differences.
“Some people are saying, ‘Is there going to be a deal where we’re going to be thrown under the bus?’” Romualdez, a longtime critic of China’s actions in the disputed waters, told a news conference in Manila on Tuesday.
“Assurances are being made to us that, that’s absolutely not true,” he said, adding that US-Philippine defense engagements are “increasing even more now.”
The US Congress is working on a substantial financial appropriation to continue helping the Philippine military modernize its capabilities, said Romualdez, who is to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii in April to discuss upcoming military and defense activities.
Last year, about 9,000 American and 5,000 Filipino military personnel took part in one of their largest annual combat drills in the Philippines in years. In one live-fire drill, American and Filipino forces unleashed a barrage of missile and artillery fire that shot down several drones acting as hostile aircraft off a Philippine province facing the South China Sea.
Trade ties
China has fiercely opposed the mock battle scenarios as provocative.
Romualdez said Manila should also try to “fine-tune” its relations with Beijing to allow for more trade engagement even while remaining steadfast in defending its territorial interests in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.
The United States and the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, have been the most vocal critics of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Chinese forces have in recent years used powerful water cannons, flares and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Filipino forces at sea and in the air.
The United States has repeatedly warned China that it is obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come under an armed attack.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the territorial standoffs but have avoided condemning China’s assertiveness. —WITH A REPORT FROM AP
