ASEANEWS HEADLINE: ASIA GEOPOLITICS | MANILA: ‘US will stand with allies to stop China aggression’

US defense chief in Philippines to boost partnership

MANILA, Philippines — United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to affirm his nation’s security commitment to the Philippines and other US allies as he arrives today for his first official visit to the country to meet with his counterpart Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

Earlier this week, Hegseth voiced the Trump administration’s resolve to maintain peace and protect its interest as well as of its allies in the Indo-Pacific against China’s belligerence.

“We will work with our allies and our partners to deter the Communist Chinese and their aggression in the Indo-Pacific, full stop,” Hegseth told the Pentagon think tank Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 25.

“By standing shoulder to shoulder with you, our allies and partners, we will put our enemies, our adversaries, those who stand against us on notice. Each ally, each partner, each friend, contributes their own unique capabilities to regional deterrence,” he said.

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During his two-day visit, Hegseth will meet with Teodoro at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Hegseth said his engagements with allies were meant to strengthen partnerships toward a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

On March 25, he met in Hawaii with civilian and military leaders from the US Indo-Pacific Command.

In a prior call with Teodoro, Hegseth emphasized the importance of “reestablishing deterrence in the South China Sea.”

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“No one should question the resolve of the United States of America to defend our interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” he said.

“We will do this through the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective, most lethal fighting force in the world … supported by — and in partnership with — capable, like-minded allies and partners,” he added.

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No ‘chess piece’

Malacañang, meanwhile, lashed back at China for implying that the Philippines is a “chess piece” and a “mouthpiece” of another country ahead of the visit of Hegseth.

“If China really believes and is concerned about peace and stability in the region, they should abide by the international law, they should also respect the sovereignty of each country. The Philippines is no one’s chess piece, we are an independent country,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press conference.

“Whatever we do, whatever project related to our military operations is up to us, no one should interfere. We are independent and no one should meddle in whatever decision our government will make,” she said.

She maintained that no country should meddle in the Philippines’ policies and called on China to respect the sovereignty of other countries.

At a briefing last Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Philippines should “stop serving as other countries’ mouthpiece,” when asked to react to Hegseth’s Manila visit.

He said any defense cooperation between the Philippines and other countries should not target any third party, harm its interest, threaten regional peace or escalate tensions. Guo added that facts “have repeatedly proven that nothing good could come out of opening the door to a predator” and that “those who willingly serve as chess pieces will be deserted in the end.”

China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea including areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

In 2016, an arbitral court based in The Hague invalidated China’s maritime claims and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone. The Chinese government refused to recognize the ruling.

The US has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to its treaty obligations to the Philippines, saying it stands “shoulder-to-shoulder” in defending its ally’s sovereign rights in the South China Sea. Washington officials have also declared that an armed attack on Filipino armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would invoke the United States’ mutual defense commitments.

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Cambodia partnership

The Philippines, meanwhile, is also looking at boosting further the country’s defense relations with Cambodia.

Teodoro made the pronouncement during a courtesy call by Cambodia’s secretary of state of the ministry of national defense Lt. Gen. Rath Dararoth on Tuesday, according to DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong.

During his meeting with Dararoth, Teodoro expressed optimism on strengthening defense ties between the Philippines and Cambodia and underscored the importance of regional cooperation in addressing security challenges and in fostering mutual growth. He also relayed to Dararoth his invitation to Cambodia’s defense minister Tea Seiha to visit the Philippines this year.

Andolong said Dararoth lauded the successful and seamless conduct of the fourth Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting held earlier.

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Emphasizing the value of cooperation among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Teodoro told Dararoth of President Marcos’ directive to explore critical areas of collaboration designed to benefit Southeast Asian countries.

He said that despite different approaches to addressing common security threats, ASEAN solidarity remains unwavering.

Andolong said Dararoth echoed the same sentiment, emphasizing the potential for deeper bilateral cooperation between the two countries as he extended his appreciation for the Philippines’ continued support for Cambodia, particularly in education and training programs. — Michael Punongbayan