Hegseth says US to boost ties with Philippines as deterrence against China: 'Peace through strength'

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump medication intends to boost subject ties with the Philippines to fortify deterrence against Chinese aggression successful the disputed South China Sea.

The assurance came during a gathering with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. successful the Philippines, portion of Hegseth’s travel to Asia to reaffirm Washington's "ironclad" committedness to the portion nether the medication of President Donald Trump.  

"Deterrence is indispensable astir the satellite but specifically successful this region, successful your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese," Hegseth told Marcos. "Friends request to basal enarthrosis to enarthrosis to deter conflict, to guarantee that determination is escaped navigation whether you telephone it the South China Sea oregon the West Philippine Sea."

"Peace done spot is simply a precise existent thing," Hegseth said, praising the Philippines for lasting "very firm" to support its interests successful the contested waters.

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth astatine the Malacanang statesmanlike palace successful Manila, Philippines, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)

China claims virtually the full South China Sea, a large information and planetary commercialized route. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan besides person overlapping claims to the resource-rich and engaged waters, but confrontations person spiked betwixt Chinese and Philippine seashore defender and naval forces successful the past 2 years.

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Chinese forces person utilized almighty h2o cannons and unsafe maneuvers successful the precocious seas to artifact what Beijing said were encroachments by Philippine ships into China's waters. Chinese subject craft person besides approached Philippine patrol planes astatine alarmingly adjacent distances to thrust them distant from the Scarborough Shoal, a hotly disputed sportfishing atoll successful the disputed waterway.

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. defence main that by visiting the Philippines archetypal successful Asia, helium "sends a precise beardown connection of the committedness of some our countries to proceed to enactment unneurotic to support bid successful the Indo-Pacific region, wrong the South China Sea."

"We person ever understood the rule that the top unit for bid successful this portion of the satellite would beryllium the United States," Marcos said.

Two Philippine Coast Guard ships were reportedly surrounded by Chinese vessels successful a tense standoff successful the South China Sea connected Monday, further raising tensions betwixt the 2 countries, successful South China Sea, Off Philippines connected March 24, 2025.  (Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Hegseth's sojourn to the Philippines comes a period earlier the longtime pact allies clasp their largest yearly combat exercises that volition see live-fire drills. 

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The defence secretary’s sojourn comes arsenic helium faces calls backmost location for his resignation for texting onslaught plans to a Signal radical that included top-level U.S. information officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.