Philippines confident Trump will continue military patrols to keep China
in check in disputed sea
[March 03, 2025]
By JIM GOMEZ
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines' top diplomat to the United
States expressed confidence Monday that President Donald Trump’s new
administration would continue military patrols in the disputed South
China Sea and move ahead with an agreed expansion of the U.S. military
presence in the Philippines, as concerns rise over China’s increasingly
assertive actions in the region.
Ambassador Jose Romualdez, who has had meetings with Trump’s diplomatic,
defense and congressional officials, said the U.S. would likely maintain
its support to help modernize the Philippine military, which is at the
forefront of deterring China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed
waters.
“All of that will remain,” Romualdez told foreign correspondents at a
news conference in Manila. “I am confident that it will.”
A Washington meeting between Trump and Philippine President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. was being arranged and could happen as soon as as both
leaders’ schedules allow, maybe in the spring, Romualdez said.
There was no immediate comment by Chinese officials on Romualdez's
statements.
Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and moves to roll back
Washington's development assistance and security aid worldwide have set
off concerns about the scale and depth of the U.S. commitment to the
Indo-Pacific in his new term.
In recent talks between Philippine defense and military officials and
their American counterparts, both sides have reaffirmed their commitment
to maintain robust ties.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique
Manalo on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany
last month and “not only reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the United
States-Philippines alliance but noted his enthusiasm for building an
even more invested and enduring relationship,” State Department
spokesperson Tammy Bruce said then.
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Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Romualdez, center, answers
questions from reporters during a news conference with the Foreign
Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines
on Monday March 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jim Gomez)
Their “discussions included the ongoing bilateral coordination on
addressing China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and
increasing economic cooperation on infrastructure, critical
minerals, information technology and energy, including through civil
nuclear cooperation,” Bruce said.
Confrontations between China and the Philippines have flared up in
recent years in the South China Sea, a major global trade route,
where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have had overlapping
claims for decades.
Romualdez said helping the Philippines stand up to threats to
unhindered passage and overflight in the contested waters would
benefit the U.S. and other allied and friendly countries, which are
strengthening their defense ties with Manila.
"We’re right in the forefront of this push to make sure that the
Indo-Pacific region remains free and clear,” he said.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, took steps to strengthen an arc of
security alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China’s
assertiveness, including in any future confrontation over
self-governed Taiwan.
That has aligned with Marcos’ thrust to strengthen his country’s
external defenses to protect the territorial interests of the
Philippines in the South China Sea.
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