PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 14, 2025

Amid China pressure, US and Philippines recommit to security alliance

Amid China pressure, US and Philippines recommit to security alliance

President Joe Biden told his counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday that the US commitment to the defense of its ally was “ironclad,” including in the South China Sea where Manila is under pressure from China.
Marcos, on the first White House visit by a Philippines leader in 10 years, stressed the importance of the US as his country’s sole treaty ally in a region with “arguably the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world right now.”

The two countries reaffirmed their decades-old security alliance in a trip that marks a dramatic turnaround in US-Philippine relations as both countries seek ways to push back against what they see as China’s increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

US officials said the leaders would agree on new guidelines for stronger military cooperation, as well as stepped-up economic cooperation.

“The United States remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea,” Biden told Marcos in the Oval Office.

A joint statement said this meant that any armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

Washington sees the Philippines as key to any effort to counter an invasion of Taiwan by China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory. Manila recently agreed to allow the US access to four more of its military bases under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, but the two sides have not said what US assets will be stationed at those.

The joint statement said the leaders “affirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.”

Under Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos’ predecessor, US relations soured as he turned the Philippines sharply away from its former colonial ruler and built closer ties with China.

Biden has invested in courting Marcos, who still faces a US court judgment connected with $2 billion of plundered wealth under his father’s rule.

US officials said the new guidelines focused on military coordination across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, while the US administration would also transfer three C-130 aircraft and look to send additional patrol vessels to the Philippines.

“It is only natural for the Philippines to look to its sole treaty partner in the world to strengthen and to redefine the relationship that we have and the roles that we play in the face of those rising tensions that we see now around the South China, Asia Pacific and Indo-Pacific region,” Marcos said.

The summit is the centerpiece of a four-day US visit by Marcos that started on Sunday.

Marcos has sought warm relations with both the US and China, who are vying for influence in the Indo-Pacific. The Biden-Marcos joint statement did not name the Chinese government.

Experts say Washington considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan.

However, Marcos told reporters on his plane China had agreed to discuss fishing rights in the South China Sea and also that he would not allow the Philippines to become a “staging post” for military action.

The joint statement said Biden would send a Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines to enhance investment in clean energy transition, the critical minerals sector, and food security.

The two countries would also co-host in Manila the 2024 Indo-Pacific Business Forum – the marquee US commercial event in the region — which would further establish the Philippines as a key hub for regional supply chains.

The statement also said the countries looked forward to establishing trilateral cooperation with Japan and Australia.

With many Filipinos frustrated by China’s actions in the South China Sea, including the harassing of Philippine ships and fishermen in parts that both countries claim, popular support has grown in the Philippines for a tougher stance toward Beijing.

Biden was the first official to reach out to Marcos after his election and has made strengthening economic and military ties in the Indo-Pacific region a cornerstone of his foreign policy.

Before the summit, US lawmakers sent a bipartisan letter to Biden calling on him to raise what they called the worsening human rights “crisis” in the Philippines.

They said there were well-documented violations under Duterte but recent reports showed “ongoing impunity.” They cited reports from the Karapatan Human Rights Alliance of 17 extrajudicial killings, 165 illegal arrests from July to December 2022, and a total of 825 political prisoners. A White House summary said human rights were among the topics being discussed by the two countries.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta to Introduce Community Notes Feature in March as Part of New Content Moderation Approach
Trump's ambassador nominee confirmed Canada's sovereignty during trade disputes.
The ICC’s retaliation on behalf of drug traffickers against Philippine President Duterte, who took a stand against them and shielded 100 million Filipinos from the drugs-death trade—overlooking the reality that every triumph carries its own price.
Mark Carney Selected as Leader of Canada's Liberal Party, Poised to Assume the Role of Prime Minister
Pope Francis Displays Signs of Recovery, Yet His Hospitalization Persists.
Trump Administration Unveils Self-Deportation App for Undocumented Immigrants
Trump Administration Plans New Travel Ban Including Afghanistan and Pakistan
Global Scam Syndicate Capitalizes on Fraudulent Celebrity Advertisements to Deceive Thousands
Devastating Passing of 20-Year-Old American Bodybuilder Sparks Health Worries
Microsoft to Sunset Skype in May, Prioritizing Teams as Communication Evolves
Katy Perry Set to Join All-Female Crew for Blue Origin Flight
Apple Resolves iPhone Dictation Bug That Linked 'Racist' to 'Trump'
Proposal Introduced for $250 Bill Featuring Donald Trump
Research Examines Possible Connection Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Post-Vaccination Syndrome
Latin America News Update: Gatherings, Legal Conflicts, and Economic Developments
Vatican Declares Pope Francis' Health Status as 'Critical'
Mexico Suggests Constitutional Amendments to Protect Sovereignty Following U.S. Terrorist Labels on Cartels
Tequila Sector Faces Oversupply Challenge as Agave Prices Fall Sharply
Pope Francis Continues His Hospital Stay While Doctors Treat Complicated Infection
AI Giants Contest Nvidia's Supremacy with Emerging Chip Innovations
California's CalExit Movement Grows Momentum Amid Political and Economic Discourse in the State
Trump Asserts BRICS 'Is Finished' In Light of Tariff Threats
CPJ Report Indicates Highest Number of Journalists Killed in 2024
Climate change presents considerable threats to worldwide cocoa production.
Apple Releases Critical Security Update Following Vulnerability Reports
Justin Bieber Sparks Concern as New Footage Raises Health Fears
Trump Administration Directs Admiral to Leave Official Residence in Three Hours
US Confiscates Second Aircraft Associated with Maduro's Government
The Trump administration is considering El Salvador's proposal to accommodate U.S. prisoners.
Trump Wins Again as Canada Agrees to Strengthen Border Security
Wall Street Journal Criticizes Trump's Trade War with Canada and Mexico
Trump Freezes Tariffs on Mexico After Agreement on Border Security
Nearly 96% of New Cars Registered in Norway in January Were Electric
Marco Rubio Urges Panama to Limit Chinese Influence Amid Canal Dispute
Apple Surpasses Revenue and Earnings Expectations, But iPhone Sales Disappoint
Bill Gates Reflects on Past Mistakes and Acknowledges Yuval Noah Harari's Insight
Trump Imposes Emergency Tariffs on Colombia Following Immigration Dispute
Musk and X Intensify Legal Battle Over Advertising Boycott, Suing Nestlé, LEGO, and Shell
Trump: Canada Should Become the 51st U.S. State
U.S. President Trump Asserts Intent to Reclaim Panama Canal Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
Panama Rules Out Negotiations With US Over Control of Canal
The 'Chinese Pearl Harbor' on U.S. Tech: DeepSeek's Launch Triggers Market Collapse
Key Takeaways from the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos
The Trump Era 2: A Time of Dramatic and Profound Change
Five Billionaires on Track to Break One Trillion Dollar Wealth Barrier
Bill Ackman Praises Social Media Platform X as 'The New Media'
California Wildfires Set to Become Costliest in U.S. History
Chief Justice Roberts Warns Against Threats to Judicial Independence
Generation Z Faces Scrutiny Over Workplace Readiness
Democrats Call on Biden to Protect Controversial Temporary Protected Status Program
×