Trump administration promises ‘ironclad’ support for Philippines’ security south china sea news

New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized China’s ‘dangerous’ actions towards the Philippines in the South China Sea.

New United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Manila of Washington’s “firm” commitment to defend the Philippines in the face of Chinese provocations in the South China Sea during his first talks with Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.

Rubio also criticized Beijing’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” in the call with Manalo on Wednesday, which the top US diplomat said violate international law.

“Secretary Rubio pointed out that (China’s) behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” the State Department said in a statement.

“An armed attack on their public vessels, aircraft or armed forces – including their coast guards – anywhere in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would trigger mutual defense commitments,” the State Department said.

Washington and the Philippines, a former U.S. colony, signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951, stating that both countries would come to each other’s defense if they faced attack.

The call with his Philippine counterpart came a day after Rubio held a four-way meeting with his Quadrilateral Security Dialogue counterparts from India, Japan and Australia.

In a veiled warning to Beijing, the diplomatic and security grouping of the four countries – known as the Quad – said they support a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region, “where the rule of law, democratic values , sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Upheld and defended”.

“We strongly oppose any unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo by force or coercion,” he said in a statement.

China makes extensive claims to much of the South China Sea, which violates the maritime claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines.

In 2016, in a dispute brought by Manila against Beijing, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis.

The decision, which Beijing has rejected, has had little impact on China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed maritime zone.

There have been increasingly tense confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships over the past year over disputed islands, waters and reefs in the area.

On January 14, the Philippines criticized China for deploying a “monster ship” inside Manila’s Exclusive Maritime Economic Zone, saying the move by China’s coast guard was worrying and aimed at intimidating fishermen operating around the disputed coast. .

“This is an escalation and a provocation,” Philippines National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said at the time, adding that the ship’s presence was “illegal” and “unacceptable.”

In response, the Philippine Navy conducted “sovereignty patrols” with live-fire exercises near the shoal, followed by joint military exercises with the US.

That week, China’s People’s Liberation Army also conducted military combat readiness exercises in the disputed waters.

The Scarborough Shoal is one of the highly disputed chains of rocks in the South China Sea. While inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), China exercises de facto control over the area.