Secretary of State Marco Rubio has weaved concerns. They are concerning China's actions in South China Sea. He has had in-depth discussion. Philippine counterpart was involved. The talk was on Wednesday. Rubio has emphasized the "ironclad" U.S defense commitment. The commitment is to Manila.
"Secretary Rubio conveyed that China's behavior is troublesome. It undermines regional peace. It also destabilizes things. It is contrary to international law,". This statement was made by U.S. State Department. The statement was made in discussion with Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.
The Philippines has faced troubles at sea. It has had run-in with China in last two years. Both countries have had a standing off. They are around disputed features. These features are in South China Sea. They are within Manila's exclusive economic zone.
Rubio made the call after a meeting. This meeting was with counterparts from Australia India and Japan. The gathering was part of the China-focused "Quad" forum. All of this took place on Tuesday. This was the day after President Donald Trump came back to White House. All four reaffirmed commitment to work together.
Members of Quad and the Philippines worry. They worry about the rise in China's strength. Analysts commented on the gathering. They said it was designed to show a continuous plan for strategy in Indo-Pacific. They said countering Beijing was high on Trump's list of priorities.
During call with Manalo Rubio underscored the United States' ironclad commitments to the Philippines. He discussed ways for security cooperation to be advanced. Economic ties should be expanded. Also regional cooperation needs to be deepened the statement said.
Foreign ministry of China stated that its actions in these waters were "reasonable. They were lawful. They were beyond reproach." This statement was made by Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. He clarified that the United States was "not a party" in the South China Sea dispute. He noted that they should not have "right to intervene" in such issues. These issues, he indicated, are between China and the Philippines.
"Military cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines should not undermine. It should not weaken China's sovereignty. It should also not dampen maritime rights. Interests in South China Sea should be maintained. It should not be used to endorse illegal claims of the Philippines," Mao said.
Philippines is defense treaty ally of U.S. It is among the first countries. It engaged in discussions with new U.S. administration. NO QUOTES NEEDED HERE. Manila's defense department said this in a statement.
Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro met Mike Waltz. Mike Waltz is U.S. National Security Adviser. They met at White House on Thursday. Purpose was to reaffirm enduring alliance. Alliance between Philippines and United States.
Just before Trump was inaugurated Philippines and United States completed their fifth set. Joint maritime exercises in South China Sea were launched in 2023.
Security engagements soared. It happened under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Jr has moved closer to Washington. Expansion of military bases was allowed. American forces can access these bases. Facilities facing Taiwan are among them. Taiwan is island governed by democracy. It is claimed by China.
Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited Philippines last week. Iwaya is Foreign Minister of Japan. He said trilateral initiative was to be boosted. This initiative was to boost cooperation. Japan and U.S. had launched it earlier. The summit was held last year in Philippines. New U.S. administration was about to take over in Washington.
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