2 days ago
5
Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 28, 2025 | 1:37pm
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (L) shakes hands with Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro prior to their bilateral meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila on March 28, 2025.
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explicitly called "communist" China a threat during his first visit to the Philippines on Friday, March 28, declaring that "deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region."
"[Peace] through strength is a very real thing. Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the Communist Chinese and that friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there's free navigation," Hegseth said told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during their meeting at Malacañang Palace on Friday, March 28.
Hegseth's two-day visit to the Philippines starting Friday is the first by a top US official under the second administration of President Donald Trump.
Manila is also Hegseth's first stopover in his overseas tour of US allies, ahead of his visit to Japan next week.
The US defense chief praised the Philippines for its actions in defense of its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
"Whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, we recognize that your country has stood very firm in that location and in defense of your nation," Hegseth said.
The West Philippine Sea is the term the Philippines uses to refer to the parts of its 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone that fall within the South China Sea, which Beijing claims in its near-entirety.
China continues to assert control over nearly the entire South China Sea despite a landmark 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated Beijing's expansive "nine-dash line" territorial claims.
The legally binding decision affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone, but China has rejected the ruling outright and continued to carry out aggressive maneuvers against Philippine vessels in the contested waters.
Trump's agenda. During his meeting with Marcos, Hegseth conveyed that the Trump administration has been preparing extensively for strengthening the two countries' partnership, with staff working "diligently for weeks and weeks and months" on military and economic cooperation.
"Our whole team is honored to be here to engage in even deeper conversations about partnership in detail. And thank you for your leadership in being a friend to the United States," Hegseth said.
"We look forward to many more opportunities to work together," the US defense chief added.
Marcos told Hegseth that his visit sends "a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region within the South China Sea."
The Pentagon earlier described Hegseth's trip as part of "unprecedented cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen regional security."
In their first call in February, Hegseth and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro discussed the importance of "reestablishing deterrence in the South China Sea, including by working with allies and partners."
