U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to visit the Philippines next week as part of his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Philippine officials said Hegseth will discuss preventing aggression in the South China Sea and improving regional security during his visit. The visit aims to strengthen the U.S.’ strategic posture in the region and provide a stronger deterrent against China’s growing influence.
Hegseth's Visit to the Philippines and Bilateral Meetings
Pete Hegseth, who will be in Manila on March 28-29, will hold talks with Filipino Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a statement after Hegseth’s visit that the talks will focus on measures to counter China’s increasingly assertive moves in the South China Sea and the Trump administration’s support for Philippine security forces.
Romualdez noted that Hegseth's visit would carry a strong message to China and stressed that relations between the US and the Philippines would be strengthened. The visit is also seen as a step that will reinforce the US's commitment and strategic interests in the region.
Tensions in the South China Sea and China's Response
The South China Sea is one of the region’s most important security and global trade routes, and China’s claim to almost all of the region has created major international tension. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have their own claims to the region’s resources and abundant waters. Over the past two years, China and the Philippines have engaged in serious territorial disputes in these waters, and tensions have risen between coast guards on both sides.
Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot said Hegseth reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and its importance to the security of the Indo-Pacific region in his first phone call with his Filipino counterpart Teodoro last month. The leaders agreed to reestablish deterrence in the South China Sea and enhance the capabilities of the Philippine Armed Forces.
US Support for the Philippines and China's Reactions
Philippine forces have emphasized that the United States has an obligation to defend the Philippines under treaties, particularly in the South China Sea, while defending against China. The Biden administration has also repeatedly reiterated the United States’ commitment to defend against armed attacks on Philippine forces. This has drawn China’s ire, and Beijing has called on Washington not to intervene in the matter and to avoid endangering stability in the region. China has argued that the South China Sea is a purely Asian issue and should not be subject to external intervention.
The US’s support for the Philippines and its strategic involvement in the region have become increasingly important as China has increasingly assertive moves in the region. Hegseth’s visit is part of this strategy to strengthen US military ties with the Philippines and to counterbalance China’s influence in the South China Sea. While the Philippines remains a critical player in this power struggle, the US’s strategic presence in the region is an important counter to China’s claims of sovereignty in the region.
