MANILA — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to a defence treaty with the Philippines on Friday and pledged to deploy advanced capabilities to its partner to strengthen a deterrence against threats, including Chinese “aggression”.
Hegseth met his counterpart Gilberto Teodoro and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and they signalled continued strong cooperation amid growing threats from China, emphasising a shared commitment to peace in the Indo-Pacific region and in the South China Sea, where Manila accuses Beijing of repeated hostile actions.
“Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese,” Hegseth said.
He also said the United States was not seeking war and described President Donald Trump as a peacemaker.
“President Trump seeks peace … but in order to bring that peace, we will be strong,” he told a press conference with Teodoro.
“Our allies will know we stand with them. Our admirals are prepared, and they will be properly equipped,” he said. “We’re rebuilding our military under President Trump.”
China argued there were no issues with freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and urged the United States to stop “instigating ideological confrontation” and “sowing discord” in the region.
“All along, it is the U.S. side that has been indulging its allies in provocations in the South China Sea, and it is the U.S. side that has repeatedly fabricated false propositions about China’s threat to freedom… in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing on Friday.
China also advised the Philippines not to act in accordance with the United States, and not to try to provoke military confrontation, Guo said.
China has expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Philippines is Hegseth’s first stop on a trip to Asia that has been overshadowed by revelations that highly sensitive attack plans against Houthi militants in Yemen were shared on a commercial messaging app that included a journalist.
“We’re here in the Philippines to strengthen that partnership. We’ll be in Japan to do the same,” he said just as the United States, Japan and the Philippines held maritime drills in the South China Sea.
