Hegseth: Stronger Deterrence for China 03/28 06:05

   

   MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday 
that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to 
strengthen deterrence against "threats from the communist Chinese" and ensure 
freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea.

   Hegseth spoke during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 
Philippines, his first stop in his first trip to Asia to reaffirm Washington's 
"ironclad" commitment to the region under Trump. Ahead of the visit, China 
called the United States a "predator" and an unreliable ally.

   Trump's "America First" foreign policy thrust has triggered concerns in Asia 
about the scale and depth of U.S. commitment to the region.

   Hegseth's decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed 
by Japan -- both U.S. treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China -- 
was the strongest assurance yet by the U.S. under Trump to maintain a security 
presence in the region.

   "Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this region, 
in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese," Hegseth 
told Marcos. "Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to 
ensure that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or 
the West Philippine Sea."

   "Peace through strength is a very real thing," Hegseth said. He praised the 
Philippines for standing "very firm" to defend its interests in the contested 
waters.

   China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a major security and 
global trade route. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also 
have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but 
confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval 
forces in the last two years.

   Chinese forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous maneuvers in 
the high seas to block what Beijing said were encroachments by Philippine ships 
into China's waters. Chinese military aircraft have also approached Philippine 
patrol planes at alarmingly close distance to drive them away from the 
Scarborough Shoal, a hotly disputed fishing atoll in the disputed waterway.

   Under the previous Biden administration, the U.S. has repeatedly warned that 
it is obligated to help defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and 
aircraft come under an armed attack in the Pacific, including in the South 
China Sea.

   Hegseth echoed that pledge by expressing "the ironclad commitment" of Trump 
and him "to the Mutual Defense Treaty and to the partnership."

   Marcos told the U.S. defense chief that by visiting the Philippines first in 
Asia he "sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to 
continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region, 
within the South China Sea."

   "We have always understood the principle that the greatest force for peace 
in this part of the world would be the United States," Marcos said.

   Ahead of Hegseth's visit, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said 
China opposes "interference from outside countries" in the South China Sea.

   "U.S.-Philippines military cooperation must not harm the security interests 
of other countries or undermine regional peace and stability," he said Thursday 
in a monthly news conference.

   He added without elaborating that the United States has "an astonishing 
record of breaking its promises and abandoning its allies" throughout its 
history.

   Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun separately warned the 
Philippines in a news conference on Tuesday "that nothing good could come out 
of opening the door to a predator. Those who willingly serve as chess pieces 
will be deserted in the end."

   Hegseth's visit to the Philippines comes a month before the longtime treaty 
allies hold the "Balikatan," Tagalog for shoulder to shoulder, their largest 
annual combat exercises that include live-fire drills. Tn recent years, the 
exercises have been held near the South China Sea and the sea border between 
the Philippines and Taiwan.

   The defense secretary projected composure and camaraderie, as he's receiving 
harsh criticism for texting attack plans to a Signal group that included 
top-level U.S. security officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic 
magazine.

   Clad in a sweatshirt and shorts, he joined American and Filipino forces in 
physical training, including push-ups, in a gym. He shook hands and posed 
smiling with military personnel while they flashed the thumbs-up in pictures 
posted by the U.S. Embassy on X.