ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASIA GEOPOLITICS | MANILA | West Philippine Sea: Harris to Marcos: US must stand with PH amid China ‘provocations’

MANILA, Philippines — In a phone call with President Marcos, outgoing United States Vice President Kamala Harris said Washington must stand with Manila and honor its “enduring” defense commitments to its longtime security ally to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea.

Harris and Marcos spoke on the phone on Tuesday night, a day after he also engaged outgoing US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru in a three-way call, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

In a readout of their conversation released to reporters, the White House said Harris “affirmed the importance of continued defense of international rules and norms in the South China Sea” amid China’s aggressive maneuvers in the disputed waters.

She said the United States “must stand with the Philippines in the face of such provocations and the enduring nature of the US defense commitments to the Philippines.”

In a statement, Malacañang said Harris emphasized the importance of Washington’s steadfast support for Manila in the face of Beijing aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, the area in the South China Sea covering the country’s exclusive economic zone.

2022 visit recalled

“Indeed, and I will tell you from my first visit to Manila (in November 2022) and our first conversation, it is extremely important to me and to the United States that we reaffirm the commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea,” Harris told the President, as quoted by the Palace.

Her visit, she said, highlighted the “vulnerability in the region” and strengthened the Biden administration’s resolve to support the Philippines in its drive for “security and prosperity.”

“I know there is bipartisan support within the US Congress and within the US for the strength of this relationship and the enduring nature of it in terms of security, but again prosperity, and to your point of people-to-people ties,” Harris said.

The White House said Harris also underscored how these relationships had become “critical for preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Japan’s importance

Harris and Marcos also talked about their nations’ trilateral cooperation with Japan as a “key pillar of regional security,” which she helped accelerate with the first leader-level trilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, in September 2023.

“As we discussed with President Biden on Sunday, the trilateral cooperation with Japan is a very important way to deepen our economic cooperation and build secured supply chains as well as promote security across the region,” the Palace quoted Harris as saying.

“I echo the President’s (Biden’s) conversation with you about the work that you will do with the next administration, in terms of reinforcing the importance of that trilateral cooperation and the critical nature of it to maintain security in the South China Sea.”

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